Vancouver Crime Observatory
Mission
The Vancouver Crime Observatory visualizes aggregated patterns of crime, justice-system effectiveness, and public spending over time and geography. Our goal is to provide fact-based transparency about crime patterns and system performance to inform public discourse and policy decisions.
Data sources
- Vancouver Police Department Open Data Portal (GeoDASH)
- Statistics Canada Crime Severity Index (Table 35-10-0026)
- BC Coroners Service — Illicit Drug Toxicity Deaths
- City of Vancouver Open Data (311 requests, housing, contracts)
- BC Data Catalogue (mental health services, corrections)
- ICBC crash and auto crime statistics
- BC Housing listings and supportive housing data
Privacy & limitations
- Aggregate all data by geographic grid cells (approximately 500m × 500m)
- Aggregate all data by time periods (weekly or monthly)
- Display only statistical patterns and trends
- Validate all outputs to prevent individual identification
- Store or display names, photos, addresses, or any personal identifiers
- Track or profile specific individuals
- Show exact incident locations (only aggregated grid cells)
- Display individual case details or court records
- Enable identification or targeting of any person
System churn metrics
The percentage of releases (bail, probation, etc.) that resulted in a subsequent arrest within the observation period. Calculated as an aggregate statistic by area, not by tracking individuals.
The percentage of bail releases that resulted in a breach of conditions. Calculated from anonymized, aggregated data provided through FOI requests.
The percentage of charges that were stayed or dismissed by prosecutors or courts, rather than proceeding to conviction or acquittal.
The average number of days between a release and a subsequent arrest, calculated as an aggregate statistic across all incidents in an area.
This platform presents factual, aggregated statistics. High numbers in certain areas may reflect differences in policing practices, socioeconomic factors, population density, availability of services, or reporting patterns. Correlation does not imply causation.
Legal & ethical framework
- All data collection and processing complies with Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA)
- Only publicly available or FOI-accessible data is used
- Platform design prevents misuse for harassment or targeting
- Regular privacy audits and validation
- Commitment to neutral, fact-based presentation
Contact & feedback
This is an open-source civic transparency project. Report privacy concerns, suggest new data sources, or contribute via the GitHub repository.