VANCOUVER Police on Tuesday announced they have finalized a ‘street checks and police stops’ policy in line with new provincial policing standards issued by the Province that went into effect on January 15.

All police agencies in B.C. are required to abide by the new provincial standards and introduce internal policy to provide direction  to staff to ensure compliance with the standard. The VPD’s policy was approved by the Vancouver Police Board electronically earlier this month to ensure it was finalized and officers are trained prior to January 15.

Street checks are a valuable proactive tool for police. Although they are used infrequently – an average of one street check, per front line officer, per month – they play an important role in crime prevention and ensuring the safety of the public, say Vancouver Police.

The new policy, called Conducting and Documenting Street Checks and Police Stops (1.6.53), is available for the public to read, along with other VPD policies and procedures, at vpd.ca.