Latest news with #OperationsDivision
Global News
16 hours ago
- Global News
8 public safety cameras installed in Vancouver's DTES due to high crime rates
Vancouver police say public safety cameras have been installed in the Downtown Eastside to cut down on 'violent incidents targeting the community and police.' Eight elevated safety cameras have been installed in the Downtown Eastside – four at Main and Hastings, and four at Carrall and Hastings, police said. They will replace two existing public safety trailers that were deployed in April after a Vancouver Police Department officer was attacked with a knife, two others had their uniforms set on fire and a 92-year-old man was assaulted and died in a lane behind the Carnegie Centre. 'We continue to drive down crime and drive out predators through proactive, assertive, and targeted enforcement against violent criminals and prolific offenders who operate in the Downtown Eastside,' Deputy Chief Howard Chow, Operations Division, said in a statement. Story continues below advertisement 'Despite significant progress, there's still ongoing and imminent risk to residents and police officers. Now is not the time to let up.' 1:50 Violent crime in DTES dropped in first months of Task Force Barrage, police say The Vancouver police say that despite representing three per cent of the city's population and two per cent of its geographical area, the Downtown Eastside accounts for 30 per cent of violent crime in the city. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In February, Vancouver police announced Task Force Barrage, a $5-million initiative to flood the city's troubled Downtown Eastside with patrol officers and crack down on gangs and organized retail theft. However, police said the areas around Main and Hastings, and Carrall and Hastings, continue to have the highest crime rates in the city. Story continues below advertisement So far in 2025, there have been 225 violent crimes, including 14 robberies, 115 assaults and one homicide, within a one-block radius of where the cameras are deployed, according to police statistics. 'Residents, business owners, and community advocates tell us they're still concerned about the level of violence in the Downtown Eastside, where gangs and violent criminals are endangering the community,' Chow added. 'We've spoken to more than a dozen organizations, residents and advocates about this initiative, and we're confident it has widespread community support.' Police said the cameras are intended to deter violence and capture video evidence. They will not record audio or be used with facial recognition or artificial intelligence, or for traffic enforcement. Only authorized VPD employees will have access to recordings, which will be overwritten after four days unless required for criminal investigations.
The Star
3 days ago
- General
- The Star
PLKN 3.0: NS trainees thrilled to get to fire M16 using real ammo
KUANTAN: A total of 123 trainees in the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) 3.0 Series 2/2025 were seen to be excited with the opportunity to undergo a shooting exercise with real guns like the M16 at the Naval Region Headquarters (MAWILLA) 1 Target Range in Tanjung Gelang here on Wednesday (June 4). National Service Training Department Training Operations Division director, Royal Malaysian Air Force Colonel Mazlizan Shaikh Osman ( pic, centre ), said the number was part of the 257 male trainees who participated in the 45-day programme at the 505th Territorial Army Regiment Camp in Pekan. "We are holding two shooting sessions, today (June 4) with the Alpha and Bravo companies and tomorrow (June 5) with the Charlie and Delta companies. "This training is part of the 70% of military elements applied in the PLKN, apart from shooting practice, we also train them in navigation, survival skills and crossing obstacle courses," he said at a press conference here on Wednesday. Mazlizan also said that female trainees stationed at the 515th Territorial Army Regiment (Askar Wataniah) Camp in Kuala Lumpur would also undergo shooting training and the same basic military module to build discipline, confidence and identity of the young generation as the country's frontliners. "We are holding training like this because, based on past studies, many trainees want to train outdoors, and if they are in other locations, they do not have the opportunity to use real weapons. "The weapon used in the training is the M16 rifle (standard US military rifle) with live ammunition, where the trainees are trained to shoot at a distance of 25m and 100m in prone, sitting and standing positions," he said. He said that before practising at the target range, trainees were first provided with knowledge related to weapons, as well as protocols that were allowed and prohibited when handling weapons, to ensure the safety of all present during a drill. A trainee, Aiman Khawarizmi Kamaruddin, 20, from Kota Bharu, Kelantan, admitted that he really enjoyed the shooting exercise because it gave him new knowledge and experience. "This shooting experience is very valuable to me and my friends and gives us exposure on the knowledge of using real weapons," he said. – Bernama
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Yahoo
JonBenet Ramsey's father, police meet for 'important' discussion over unsolved child pageant star's murder
JonBenet Ramsey's father, John Ramsey, met with Boulder Police Department Chief Stephen Redfearn on Monday to discuss the 6-year-old's unsolved 1996 murder case. Twenty-eight years have passed since JonBenet was found strangled and bludgeoned to death in the basement of her family's Boulder, Colorado home on Dec. 26, 1996, and her killer remains unknown. "We can confirm that Chief Redfearn and members of our Operations Division met with the family this week as the department has previously to share updates on the case," a Boulder PD spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Beyond that we cannot answer specific questions because this is an active and ongoing homicide investigation." John Ramsey told Fox News Digital about his plans to meet with Redfearn in December and noted that he meets with Boulder police at least once per year to discuss updates in the case. Jonbenet Ramsey's Dad Suggests Daughter's Killer Motivated By Money In Resurfaced Interview "That's an important meeting. We're going to have a representative with us for one of these cutting-edge labs to explain what they can and can't do. Hopefully, he will accept their help," Ramsey said at the time, adding that if the BPD chief agrees to allow an independent lab to conduct testing on the nearly three-decades-old crime scene items — something he's been pushing to do for years — he will feel "comfortable we've got things moving." Read On The Fox News App Ramsey has been pushing police in recent years to retest certain evidence for traces of DNA, including external male DNA that federal officials disclosed in 1997, and test other items for the first time. Follow The Fox True Crime Team On X Private genetic genealogy databases have grown significantly over the last decade, and the technology used to identify and link DNA to specific individuals is more advanced than it has ever been, making the possibility of identifying a suspect in JonBenet's murder using genetic evidence more promising than ever before. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE True Crime Hub There are more than 20 items in the case that have never been tested, including, but not limited to, a garrote found around JonBenet's neck, a ransom note found in the Ramsey house on the morning of the murder, a suitcase found in the basement that authorities believe the killer used to escape out a window, an unknown flashlight found on the Ramsey family's kitchen counter the morning of the murder and unknown rope found in brother Burke Ramsey's room that day, according to public records initially obtained by journalist Paula Woodward, who has published two books about the Ramsey case. Jonbenet's Father Challenges Colorado Governor To Meet: 'Time For Answers Is Running Out' While it is unclear if officials will be able to find or identify any suspects in the case by partnering with an independent lab with access to private databases, Ramsey is hopeful that it is the next step for him in his pursuit for justice for his daughter, whether it yields results or not. Sign Up To Get The True Crime Newsletter "DNA is pretty complicated stuff. I have learned that," Ramsey said, "but that's the reason that needs to be retested. That's the one step that we're asking the police to do is engage one of these one or two cutting-edge labs in the world and see what we come up with … and we come up empty-handed, then I'll say, 'Thank you. You tried. That's the best we can do right now with today's technology. Thank you.' But until we do that, we haven't done everything that could be done." Officials have sorted through 2,500 pieces of evidence and approximately 40,000 reports with more than a million pages documenting the investigation. The Colorado Cold Case Review team has also provided BPD with a list of tips for the department to pursue, according to article source: JonBenet Ramsey's father, police meet for 'important' discussion over unsolved child pageant star's murder
