Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood is in the grip of a “humanitarian crisis” of crime and violence that has reached a tipping point, Mayor Ken Sim said as he unveiled a taskforce to tackle organized crime.

Vancouver’s mayor and police chief trumpeted a plan Thursday to boost police funding with a specific focus on the Downtown Eastside. At a news conference Thursday at City Hall, Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer and Mayor Ken Sim announced what they called a “long-term initiative to dismantle organized crime.

The mayor and the police chief have announced a new task force they say will target organized crime and predatory criminals operating in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Vancouver's mayor and police chief are launching "Task Force Barrage" to target crime and clean up the Downtown Eastside. Rumina Daya reports.

Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood is in the grip of a "humanitarian crisis" of crime and violence that has reached a tipping point, the city's mayor said, as he unveiled a taskforce to tackle organized crime.