Vancouver Police say incidents of men masturbating in public and exposing themselves on the rise

Vancouver Police are warning residents not to wait to call 911 if they see any sexually motivated offences.

They say, since the beginning of October, they have received a number of calls about prowlers, and incidents of men masturbating and exposing themselves in public. These have mostly occurred between the hours of 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. but they are not hearing about them until later.

Police want everyone who sees suspicious activity of this nature to call 911 immediately, but warn residents not to confront offenders.

The offences are being investigated by the Sex Crimes Unit of the VPD and there has been an increased police presence in the areas where these offences have been taking place.

Police have issued some safety tips such as:

• consider installing motion sensor lights outside your home
• join Block Watch
• close your window coverings at night so people can’t see inside
• call 9-1-1 if you hear suspicious noises or see anyone you consider suspicious