The Vancouver Police Department marked another chapter in its history Thursday by officially opening its own training academy, with 40 recruits set to begin classes in the facility Friday.

The academy is set up in the three-level space formerly occupied by London Drugs in the Woodward’s building on Abbott Street in the Downtown Eastside. Earlier this year, city council approved $1.2 million to convert the space into the academy.

Operating costs are to come from the VPD’s existing budget.

“For the first time since 1978, we will be able to fully develop the next generation of police officers in Vancouver, from the day they join our organization to when they graduate and begin their careers with the VPD,” police Chief Steve Rai told more than 300 people gathered in the atrium at the Woodward’s building.

“This is a tremendous responsibility. It is also an extraordinary opportunity.”

‘Exceptional and specialized training’

The 30,000-square-foot space is made up of classrooms, a report-writing room, a gym, a cafeteria and a virtual reality room, where recruits wear goggles to participate in various scenarios they could experience on the street.

The aim is to put recruits through simulated high-pressure calls, where a recruit will be tested in crisis intervention, de-escalation and when to fire a gun. Nine veteran VPD officers are the academy’s teachers.

Another nine teachers will work out of the VPD’s tactical training centre on Glen Drive, where recruits complete use-of-force training. Driving instruction is provided by VPD trainers at Mission Raceway.

Rai said Vancouver has some of the country’s most complex social issues and challenges.

“Our officers are increasingly responding to calls involving mental health, addictions, vulnerable populations, violent crime, organized crime, cybercrime, public disorder and many more,” the chief said.

“Meeting these demands and the expectations of Vancouver residents, businesses and visitors requires exceptional people. It also requires exceptional and specialized training for new officers.”

For decades, he added, recruit training has largely followed a provincial model. That model has served policing well, but Vancouver presents a “unique operational reality,” he said.

“Our officers need to be prepared not only to meet provincial policing standards, but exceed them to succeed in one of Canada’s most dynamic urban policing environments,” Rai said. “This academy gives us that ability. It allows us to develop recruits using the experience of Vancouver police officers.”

‘Confidence return’

Mayor Ken Sim, who is seeking re-election in the Oct. 17 election, gave a campaign-style speech in his time at the lectern, noting 175 police officers had been hired since he was inaugurated in November 2022.

Opening the academy in the Woodward’s building was purposely done to alleviate concerns of residents and owners in the Gastown area, said Sim, noting the neighbourhood has gone through some “incredibly difficult years.”

“Businesses were dealing with theft, vandalism, and street disorder,” he said. “Residents were seeing things outside of their homes that nobody should expect to see or simply accept as normal. Visitors stopped coming. Businesses struggled.”

He said he and his ABC Vancouver colleagues supported Task Force Barrage—a project aimed at tackling organized crime in the Downtown Eastside—and “we’re seeing the results work.”

“Through the hard work of the VPD and the community, we have seen the lowest violent crime rate in 23 years,” Sim said. “And here in Gastown, we are starting to see confidence return. People are coming back. Businesses are reinvesting. And there’s a sense of momentum that we cannot afford to lose.”

Business in Vancouver reported in August that violent crime continued to increase in Vancouver in the first six months of 2026, with assaults and robberies driving the uptick, according to statistics the VPD posted to its website.

The VPD’s data for January through June showed a six per cent increase in overall violent crime compared with the same period in 2025. Assaults were up 7.1 per cent and robberies by 7.8 per cent.

Community policing centre

The academy’s opening comes the same year as the VPD set up its District 5 offices in the Woodward’s building. It’s also home to the Gastown-Hastings Crossing community policing centre, which opened in July 2025.

When news of the VPD’s interest in setting up its own academy first broke in February, the Justice Institute of BC (JIBC) pushed back against the idea, saying it had offered the department 40 seats in May and had capacity to offer more.

“We will be able to offer VPD a minimum of 120 seats over the next 12 months,” April van Ert, vice-president of external relations for JIBC, told Business In Vancouver at the time.

The JIBC also issued a news release in February that said “creating a parallel system would duplicate costs, fragment oversight and introduce unnecessary risks in an attempt to solve a problem that no longer exists.”

‘Economic fabric of the DTES and Gastown’

Other pushback came from the Coordinated Community Response Network, which wrote a letter to the provincial government saying opening a police training centre in the building would represent a significant departure from the original goal of the Woodward’s redevelopment.

“Built through extensive collaboration with the Downtown Eastside community and the City of Vancouver, the project was intended to create a mixed-use, community-oriented space that serves and brings together the surrounding neighbourhood,” said the Feb. 3 letter addressed to Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

The network says it represents 150 stakeholders, including the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, Hua Foundation, Hogan’s Alley Society, Migrant Workers Centre, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House and Kílala Lelum Health and Wellness Cooperative.

The letter was circulated to media, along with a news release that quoted Steve Johnston, a CCRN representative. Johnston said the former London Drugs space presents a rare opportunity to invest in “public-facing, economically generative uses that truly serve the neighbourhood.”

“We urge the province and the city to work with the community and consider alternative tenants that strengthen the economic fabric of the DTES and Gastown,” he said.

‘Carry the spirit of the owl’

Brian Davie, president of the Gastown Residents Association, told council during debate on the academy in February that he supported both the addition of the new District 5 and academy.

At the same time, Davie said he would have preferred London Drugs stay in the Woodward’s building.

“We believe that leaving that large anchor unit empty is detrimental to our neighbourhood and are doubtful that large retail could be successful in that space under current conditions,” he said.

“We’re hopeful that a police training academy will bring back daily activity, improve the sense of security in the Woodward’s atrium and help stabilize the area so that new retail and community uses can be successful in the future.”

London Drugs vacated the space in February, citing concerns over theft, violence and financial loss. The company’s president and CEO Clint Mahlman had earlier helped create The Save Our Streets (SOS) coalition to call on all levels of government to take action on what it says is a growing crime and violence crisis in the province.

Thursday’s news conference began with a welcoming from Lenore Natrall of the Squamish and Skwa Peoples. She referenced the owl, saying the bird is a keeper of deep wisdom.

“As we celebrate this milestone, my hope is that new recruits carry the spirit of the owl—that they develop the vision to see the true needs of our community, the wisdom to act with compassion and a quiet, steady presence that makes every person feel safe and protected,” Natrall told the audience, which included recruits and dozens of serving officers.

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