New photos of suspected rioters have been posted to a Vancouver police website. (Vancouver Police Department) Beginning of Story Content
Seventy people suspected of causing damage in June's Stanley Cup riot have turned themselves in, Vancouver police said in an update.
The force expects that number to grow with the addition of new photos to a special website it has set up to identify suspects.
"We are seeing more and more people making the decision to turn themselves in," said Vancouver police Insp. Les Yeo of the Integrated Riot Investigation Team on Wednesday.
Police will be adding new photos to the site every Wednesday, he added.
Investigators have received 425 tips through the website since it was launched last month, but no charges have yet been laid.
After the Vancouver Canucks' Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup final on June 15, rioters spent hours torching cars, smashing windows and looting stores in the city's downtown core, causing millions of dollars in damage.
The material includes notes from meetings where police and emergency officials raised concerns about increasing problems with crowd control.
The 97 pages of documents start with 12 pages of handwritten, unsigned notes from a few meetings of liquor licensing and emergency officials the second week in June.
After a conference call with police and emergency officials on June 12, Karen Ayers, general manager of the Liquor Licensing and Control Board, wrote in an email that "escalating problems, intoxication, violence and pre-riotous behaviour" led her to decide to close liquor stores early.
An internal review released by the Vancouver police on Sept. 6 concluded the department's response was justified and insisted there was no way to know a riot was unfolding.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said Wednesday city officials were ready for trouble after Game 7 but they were just overwhelmed.
"There was a plan to deal with a riot if it emerged at a certain scale but nowhere near the scale that happened when we saw that many people downtown, that many people drunk and coming in during the game," said Robertson on Wednesday.
"It was just off the charts in terms of scale and that was what was different."
The force expects that number to grow with the addition of new photos to a special website it has set up to identify suspects.
"We are seeing more and more people making the decision to turn themselves in," said Vancouver police Insp. Les Yeo of the Integrated Riot Investigation Team on Wednesday.
Police will be adding new photos to the site every Wednesday, he added.
Investigators have received 425 tips through the website since it was launched last month, but no charges have yet been laid.
After the Vancouver Canucks' Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup final on June 15, rioters spent hours torching cars, smashing windows and looting stores in the city's downtown core, causing millions of dollars in damage.
Liquor licensing official raised concerns
Liquor licensing officials noted "pre-riotous behaviour" leading up to the final game, reveal documents released Wednesday by the B.C. government in response to a Freedom of Information request.The material includes notes from meetings where police and emergency officials raised concerns about increasing problems with crowd control.
The 97 pages of documents start with 12 pages of handwritten, unsigned notes from a few meetings of liquor licensing and emergency officials the second week in June.
'There was a plan to deal with a riot if it emerged at a certain scale but nowhere near the scale that happened when we saw that many people downtown, that many people drunk …' —Vancouver mayor Gregor RobertsonSome of the most revealing comments are scribblings on the first page: "demog. younger, male, rowdier, less of demog. that helps to moderate; idiots."
After a conference call with police and emergency officials on June 12, Karen Ayers, general manager of the Liquor Licensing and Control Board, wrote in an email that "escalating problems, intoxication, violence and pre-riotous behaviour" led her to decide to close liquor stores early.
An internal review released by the Vancouver police on Sept. 6 concluded the department's response was justified and insisted there was no way to know a riot was unfolding.
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said Wednesday city officials were ready for trouble after Game 7 but they were just overwhelmed.
"There was a plan to deal with a riot if it emerged at a certain scale but nowhere near the scale that happened when we saw that many people downtown, that many people drunk and coming in during the game," said Robertson on Wednesday.
"It was just off the charts in terms of scale and that was what was different."
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