National

Vancouver police officer is directed to remove Star of David patch from uniform

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 16 Feb, 2024 11:07 AM

Vancouver police say an officer has been told to remove from his uniform a patch that shows the Star of David.

An image of the officer wearing the black patch that includes the star and white bars, similar to the Israeli flag, had been posted on social media on Thursday.

The Vancouver Police Department replied to the posting on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.

It says the patch "is not an approved part of the VPD uniform" and the officer has been directed to take it off.

The VPD has previously said unauthorized patches should not be worn on uniforms.

Deputy Chief Const. Fiona Wilson told the Vancouver Police Board in January last year that a reminder of the policy had been sent to all officers, after a complaint about an officer wearing a thin blue line patch.

A report to the board said the thin blue line patch was worn to express solidarity among officers but its use had generated "controversy and concern" among the community, including Indigenous advisers who perceived it as a "dividing line."

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. Human Rights Commissioner examines care and rights of vulnerable adults in B.C.

The British Columbia law that allows certain agencies to take over the affairs of abused, neglected or incapacitated adults is under scrutiny by the province's human rights commissioner and B.C.'s seven health agencies have been ordered to assist. Commissioner Kasari Govender wants the agencies to provide data on detentions of vulnerable adults who have been in their care.

B.C. Human Rights Commissioner examines care and rights of vulnerable adults in B.C.

Google to pay $100M a year to Canadian news publishers in deal with Ottawa

Ottawa has agreed to set a $100-million yearly cap on payments that Google will be required to make to media companies when the government's controversial online news legislation takes effect at the end of the year. The announcement Wednesday has the Liberals bending to the tech giant's demands after Google threatened back in February to remove news from its platform.

Google to pay $100M a year to Canadian news publishers in deal with Ottawa

Squamish hit and run leaves one dead

The crash happened September 2nd, 2022, when the driver of a pickup truck lost control navigating a corner and the vehicle flipped over a sidewalk and landed on a bus stop, pinning two women who were sitting there. Police say 44-year-old Gurpreet Sangha died in hospital, while the second woman survived with "life-altering injuries."

Squamish hit and run leaves one dead

B.C. finds solution for religious ban on assistance in dying at St. Paul's Hospital

The British Columbia government has announced a workaround to help those who want to use medical assistance in dying while they are being treated St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. A statement from the Health Ministry says Vancouver Coastal Health will set up a clinical space adjacent to St. Paul's, allowing it to continue to refuse to opt out of medical assistance in dying on religious grounds.

B.C. finds solution for religious ban on assistance in dying at St. Paul's Hospital

Post about Vancouver sex assault was 'misinformation,' woman fell off scooter: VPD

The Vancouver Police Department says a viral social media post claiming a woman had been violently abducted and sexually assaulted in East Vancouver in early November was based on "misinformation." Police say they reviewed security footage and interviewed witnesses, and found the woman who was allegedly assaulted had actually fallen off an electric scooter and hit her face on the pavement.

Post about Vancouver sex assault was 'misinformation,' woman fell off scooter: VPD

Indigenous signage aims to make B.C. legislature more inclusive, accepting

The Speaker of British Columbia's legislature says the unveiling of Indigenous-themed signs outside the building is a necessary step toward opening doors that have been historically closed. Raj Chouhan says the B.C. legislature is the province's largest symbol of colonialism, but it's his priority to make the building a more welcoming and inclusive place.