- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Vancouver Police Museum
Category: Arts & Entertainment Museums Museums [Edit]
240 Cordova St EVancouver, BC V6A 1L3
Neighbourhood: Downtown Eastside
(604) 665-3346
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 9 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
10 reviews for Vancouver Police Museum
10 reviews in English
-
Review from Amey S.
Vancouver, BC
7/1/2011
Unfortunately, on the day I took the 'Sins of the City' tour the museum was booked for an event and I was unable to take a look around the exhibits. Good news is that I got a free voucher to come back and take a gander at the museum. So I'm just gonna review the tour for now.
It was fun and interesting, very informative. Those who may be a bit skittish about taking the tour, because of its proximity to Hastings, may rest assured that it's totally safe. There was only one bad moment on the tour when a very loud and persistent homeless man came and started shouting for money, but another (probably?) homeless man came and chased off the other one. Our guide (I can't for the life of me recall her name), explained that that was as bad as it ever gets on the tours.
It was very interesting, there were lots of things I hadn't known about Chinatown till then. There was also lot of interesting stories about the brothels, speakeasys, and saloons that used to be so central to Vancouver.
The tour starts from the Police Museum and ends in Gastown. I would recommend this tour to anyone who has the slightest interest in the sordid history of our fair city. -
Review from Louise G.
If you and the ones you love have a taste for murder and mayhem, this is the place to go.
It's got an amazing collection of various drugs and paraphenalia, including a long "candy cane" created by a coroner to showcase the wide variety of drugs available to OD on.
There are weapons a-plenty! Lovely shanks made with various levels of ingenuity; just the thing to get your teenager interested in metal work!
Interesting forgeries of IDs and money show how interesting and easy it used to be to use your graphic skills for gain.
They also have a burglar's kit which demonstrates the great loss of skills we have suffered in that venerable trade.
Deeper in the museum, nice cases showcase some of the more gruesome and unsolved murders which have occurred in the City of Vancouver.
At the back" a coroner's collection of some very interesting samples collected while pursuing the trade; not for the squeamish
And lots of history on the VPD - the men and women who try to keep our streets on an even keel.
Brilliant for kids on a rainy day!Listed in: Mainly Main, ROTDs
-
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
3/17/2009 2 photos
Interested in drugs, guns, murder, and weapons - and the sordid stories of Vancouver's past? Get yourself down to the Vancouver Police Museum, where you'll see displays on some of Vancouver's most notorious murders and marvel at the creativity of the criminal mind.
My favourite room was the one with all the confiscated weapons, many them homemade and fashioned out of everyday objects like forks, rope, and nails, as well as motorcycle chains (filed and shaped into handy brass knuckles) and chainsaws. Lots of daggers made by people with a file and time on their hands, plus the ingenuity to hide the blade in an ordinary object - such as the blade camouflaged as a belt buckle. In the gun room, next to the gift shop, there are also some homemade guns. I picture some scary guy putting these things together on his coffee table.
The murder displays are freaky. In front of one that tells how a mentally disturbed teenager wasted his family one Christmas Eve in the 60s is the long-handled axe from the crime scene - with blond hairs clinging to the blade. Another tells of the mysterious case of the children's skeletons found buried in Stanley Park - again with what seem to be original artifacts along with the plaster casts made from their skulls.
Starting in May, the museum will be running "Sins of the City" walking tours that will cover the fun and sordid history of Chinatown and Downtown Eastside/Strathcona neighbourhood (http://www.vancouverpo...) and include a visit to this small but interesting museum. I'll be back for that. -
Review from steff c.
Vancouver, BC
1/27/2010
I'll keep this short and sweet as there are some really great and informative reviews that tell you all you need to know.
I had quite a bit of fun poking around this museum. I was one of those geeky kids that loved stories about gangsters from the '30s and the old Prohibition days, so I was right at home amidst the Tommy guns and other period weapons.
If you want flashy and high-tech, this isn't the museum for you, but if you think there's a lot to be said for the crime-filled stories of the '30s, '40s, and '50s, this macabre little joint will tickle your seedy bone.
I loved the variety of weapons, checking out an old-school morgue, and even poking around the autopsy tables. This is a side of old Vancouver you just don't get to see much of anymore. Not that I'm complaining. :) -
Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
7/23/2010
Totally rad and amazing. Such an interesting look at history. With weapons and devices galore you are sure to be in there for hours examining everything and reading up on some of Vancouver's most interesting past..
-
Review from Luisa D.
2/6/2010
I just took the Sins of the City tour and was fascintated. There's so much great history in this city. It was a practice run for our guide and she did really well. I want to get our team at work to do this tour so they can regale visiting suppliers with interesting tidbits about prohibition, racism, gambling, prostitution, stripping, riots, drugs and more. The fact that you can go from Chinatown through the Downtown East Side to Gastown in three blocks demonstrates a diversity that must be fairly unique. Finding out where the secret alleys are just makes me want to go exploring. Personally I think this kind of history should be mandatory in high school. Kids should know their city's history including its seedier side. Next time I want to tour the museum too and then I'll update my review.
-
Review from Kimli W.
6/28/2010
A great look at Vancouver's seedy underbelly! The workshops (offered in kid and grownup versions) are a blast, and a fantastic way to spend a day or evening. The giftshop has some great gift ideas for the hard to buy for (or just plain creepy), too!
-
Review from Susannah T.
Richmond, BC
8/16/2010
The Vancouver Police Museum provides a fascinating look into the criminal side of Vancouver. The museum's display of home made weapons is a tribute to human ingenuity and inventiveness. And there's more than just weapons: the museum also has guns, drugs, forged bank bills, and human body parts.
I also highly recommend the Forensic Science workshops offered at the Museum. -
Review from Catherine W.
New Westminster, BC
7/25/2010
Have always wanted to take a wee gander in here and I was not disappointed. The place is rich with history, interesting facts and a look at all the illegal vices you can imagine. I will be back.
-
Review from Rainy R.
8/22/2010
We purchased discounted certificates via Groupon, which said to call 24 hours in advance to arrange a tour. I thought that calling on Sunday to book a tour on Wednesday would be plenty of time, but they were booked out for a week. One star for poor planning on their part - they shouldn't have sold the certificates if they couldn't honor them in a reasonable time frame (and I do think that being booked out for a week is unreasonable for a tourism centered business.)
Comment from VPM T. of Vancouver Police Museum 10/7/2010
We're sorry that we weren't able to accommodate you on our… More »
