Information & Privacy Unit

As part of the Support Services Division, the Information and Privacy Unit's mandate is to ensure Vancouver Police Department compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and other statutes.

The Act provides two basic rights for members of the public:

• the right to access information in government records
• the right to have personal information protected from unauthorized collection, use and disclosure
  

The Act is intended to be an avenue of last resort. It is to be used when the information is not available through normal access procedures.

Submitting a Request

A request to access records under the Act must be made in writing, and the Vancouver Police Department has a form for making such requests (PDF). The Information and Privacy Unit does not accept FOI requests or other correspondence by e-mail or by the Internet.

If you would like to make a request for records, please write to the following address:

ATTENTION: Information and Privacy Coordinator
Vancouver Police Department
3585 Graveley Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada V5K 5J5

Requests may also be faxed to the Information and Privacy Unit at (604) 606-2622.

Please make your request as specific as possible. Provide case numbers, exact dates and addresses and names and numbers of officers involved if you have this information, so we can do a more accurate search for the information requested.

Identity Verification

If you request personal records about yourself, we will need to verify your identity to ensure we are giving access to the right person. You will be asked to produce government issue photo identification such as a driver's licence or passport. This can be done either when you submit your request or when picking up our response. You may also send a photocopy of your picture identification with your request.

Information That Will Not Be Provided

If the record you request contains personal information about someone else, and it would be an unreasonable invasion of that person's personal privacy to provide that person's personal information, we must delete that information from the record.

If the record you request contains sensitive law enforcement information that would harm a law enforcement matter if released, we do not have to provide that part of the requested record.

The Act contains other exemptions that may have to be considered depending on the nature of the request.

More Information

For more information about the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and other statutes, please visit the website of B.C.'s Information & Privacy Commissioner.