A gentle reminder to drive safely and observe the speed limit by CPC volunteers on Speed Watch duty on Beach Ave are Kamila (left) and Caio.

COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE
Volunteers Care For The Community

Did you know that next year will be 25 years since the West End-Coal Harbour Community Policing Centre (WECHCPC) was established to be our local resource for answering crime and safety concerns in the neighbourhood?

The CPC opened in July 1997 at 1122 Bute Street, in Mole Hill, as the Davie Street Community Policing Centre. It originally served the community from Burrard Street to Nicola Street and from Beach Avenue to Nelson Street. In 2005, as its area of responsibility grew, it was renamed the West End-Coal Harbour Community Policing Centre, and it found its current home at 1267 Davie Street in 2007.

The WECHCPC is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with the Vancouver Police Department and what makes it special, is that it is driven by volunteer power; people from the community who have a personal attachment to the area and want to make it a better place for themselves and for others. The CPC’s success depends on those volunteers, their skills, their knowledge, and their experiences. No one knows the community better than the people who live, work, and play here.

At the Bicycle Safety Station near the Pacific/Beach diversion are volunteers (from left) Soojin, Vincent, a community member/cyclist getting a bike registered with Project 529, Sunny, and Vincent.

The CPC currently has over 140 volunteers from the Metro Vancouver area. They range in age from 16 years old to 80+ and collectively speak more than 20 languages. Although there is a Neighbourhood Police Officer attached to the organization, the West End-Coal Harbour Community Policing Centre is not a police station.

The CPC team are regular community members who provide crime prevention education and conduct personal safety awareness activities on behalf of the VPD, but they also deliver programs and services as requested by the community which address their specific needs. The CPC team helps over 4,000 people annually through the office and assist hundreds more out in the community.

The CPC does not work in a silo. It works alongside other community, municipal, and provincial organizations, such as the West End Seniors Network, Gordon Neighbourhood House, and ICBC, and it supports collaborative activities for overall community betterment done by them. This includes safety presentations, community events, litter pick up and graffiti removal, traffic monitoring, and seasonal events as well.

The Centre is run by Aleya Trott Akey, the executive director. Shelley Coppieters, the programs manager, oversees volunteer involvement in the programs and activities. Between them, they have nearly 21 years of Community Policing involvement in the city of Vancouver.

As we said, the CPC’s success depends on the volunteers’ skills, knowledge, and experiences. To join the CPC as a volunteer, please visit their website here .

You can also follow the WECHCPC activities and services on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram pages.