VIDEO: To catch a thief

Thanks to the support of our team at GF Strong (GFS), a veteran VPD officer recently went undercover as a wheelchair-dependent resident of the Downtown Eastside (DTES) to identify thieves victimizing the vulnerable.

Walt Lawrence, a GFS spine peer worker, helped Staff Sergeant Mark Horsley perfect his cover as an incomplete quadriplegic/brain injury patient. Then, using a $16,000 motorized wheelchair on loan from GFS, the offer spent five days in the DTES.

Prepared to get robbed, beaten up and taken advantage of, the undercover officer was met with nothing but generosity and caring from the residents of this tight knit community.

Watch the Global News Hour report for the full story. Click the image below.