The Transit Police are celebrating 10 years as a police service and 30 years serving the transit system.

Transit Police originates from the Special Provincial Constables of the BC Transit Security Service.

They were appointed just prior to the opening of the first SkyTrain line in December 1985.

Several new constables were trained as the final five Expo Line SkyTrain stations were opened.

However, the constables were never intended to enforce non-transit related drug offences, execute outstanding warrants or incidents occurring just
outside of SkyTrain stations.

Clearly, there was a need for a separate policing agency for the system. So, as the transit system grew, so did the scope and responsibilities of these individuals.

The wheels started rolling towards becoming a full-fledged police service with a dispatch and police board in 2004 which resulted in the creation of Transit Police as we know them today!

The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service (GVTAPS) officially rolled out December 4, 2005 as the first dedicated transit police service in Canada.

After the launch, an E-Comm wide area radio system, a Police CAD dispatch system and a Public Records Information Management Environment (PRIME) system were implemented.

The next 10 years saw the establishment of a crime reduction unit, a dog service unit and the launch of both the SMS text reporting service as well as OnDuty App in 2013 and 2014 respectively, just to name a few initiatives.

I had the immense pleasure and opportunity to attend the Transit Police Academy last spring and learning the ins and outs of how this service is run still astounds me!

The Transit Police service is consistently working to keep our system safe and secure and working with local partners to help our community’s most vulnerable people.

Here are some photos of their celebration:

Thank you Transit Police for all you do and happy anniversary!

For more information on Transit Police, head to transitpolice.bc.ca.

Author: Adrienne Coling