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 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 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.