The Vancouver Police Department’s Marine Unit has patrolled the waters off Vancouver, including the Fraser River, since 1911. Our city boasts 160 km of shoreline, five marine areas, 26 surrounding marinas and of course – the Port of Vancouver – the largest commercial port on the west coast of the Americas and the busiest port in Canada.
On average, the Marine Unit responds to nearly 1,000 calls for service each year. It consists of one Sergeant, eight Constables who undertake the following activities:
- Apprehending suspects and criminals on the water
- Conducting vessel checks on all types of craft
- Assisting in search and rescue deployments
- Recovering casualties from the sea
- Supporting armed ship-boarding and other high-risk operations in severe sea states
- Assisting partner agencies on the water and foreshore where breaching via the bow is required
The Marine Unit also engages in significant education and outreach activities and has recently launched a program for youth – Project Drogue[1] – to help them acquire vital marine skills and to inspire careers within the marine industry.
Despite this heavy workload, and our city being surrounded on three sides by water, the Marine Unit has only two vessels – the primary vessel R.G. McBeath and the Larry Young, a rigid-hull inflatable boat. The R.G. McBeath was launched in 2008 and scheduled for replacement in 2019, which had to be delayed. As a result, it is now well past its serviceable life and is experiencing downtime of 45-60 days per year for repairs.
The City of Vancouver provided $1M for the replacement vessel, but the minimum cost to acquire a purpose-built police vessel was $1.8M. So, the VPD turned to the Vancouver Police Foundation for help. We in turn, worked with two special donors to secure two gifts totalling $1.15M to not only ensure the new vessel would be built, but to provide some additional support for innovative equipment and renovations to the boathouse which are required to accommodate the new, larger vessel.
We recently toured the boat-building facility in Sidney BC – Liquid Metal – and were excited to see the project coming together. The new vessel, which will serve our city and marine community for the next 20 years is scheduled to go to sea trials in spring of 2025. The technical specifications for the vessel make it ideal for the varied and often challenging conditions that VPD Marine Unit must work within.
Helping the VPD acquire innovative technology and equipment when a significant gap exists between the City’s budget and what the VPD requires is part of the Vancouver Police Foundation’s mandate. The Marine Unit is an especially important bridge to our community – particularly our water-based one and we are so grateful to the Sandpiper Foundation and Peter Wall/Wall Financial for ensuring our VPD are the best equipped they can be to make our city safer for all.
[1] A drogue is typically a conical or funnel-shaped device with open ends, towed behind a boat to improve stability.
The Vancouver Police Foundation supports programs and initiatives that fall within three streams: community outreach and engagement (including programs for women, youth and seniors); public and personal safety; and specialized equipment and technology. You can help make Vancouver safer for all by donating to the Vancouver Police Foundation.
