![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c529fb27a47728bd2fa5b6795239b769bacd0a200a440c25cc74132df7a6b8ec-300x200.jpg\")
Australia fans surround an RCMP officer as they march to the entrance of B.C. Place before the first half of a World Cup Group D soccer match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, June 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Ethan CairnsVANCOUVER \u2014 Vancouver police have described how controlling the air around World Cup sites during the tournament became a key part of their mission, with officers using drones to manage crowds while dozens of civilian drones were \u201cjammed\u201d and brought down amid concerns about \u201cweaponization\u201d or other hazards.\nPolice piloted more than 800 drone deployments during Vancouver\u2019s World Cup hosting run from June 11 to July 13, a news conference was told Monday.
\nDeputy Chief Constable Don Chapman said police drones were used for crowd management and to allow officers to \u201cadapt on the fly\u201d to avoid crushing events.
\nHe noted there were 15 fan marches during the city\u2019s hosting run, which included a total of seven games played at BC Place. Each match saw a sold-out crowd of 52,497 spectators, which meant crowd safety entering and exiting the stadium was a priority.
\n\u201cThere are different levers that we could pull or our commanders on the ground could actually pull, but in order to get that bird\u2019s-eye perspective of what was transpired, our drone program was invaluable for that,\u201d Chapman told a news conference Monday.
\nChapman spoke of the potential risks that became apparent at the first match, between Australia and Turkey on June 11. Police \u201cthought we had it right on day one, and we realized we didn\u2019t,\u201d he said, describing an incident when the way police public safety officers were deployed on the ground on the so-called \u201clast mile\u201d to the stadium was causing congestion.
\n\u201cWe really saw that crowd stack up at the turnstiles going into BC Place \u2026 we were like, well, we can\u2019t have this anymore, we\u2019re going to need to make a change here,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cAnd so we made a small operational change, basically the physical deployment of those officers in the last mile area that filtered the crowd in a much more effective manner and created a smoother entrance into the BC Place area.\u201d
\nMost of the drone deployments on game days were over the last mile walk towards BC Place.
\nThere were 745 unauthorized drone flights noted on Vancouver\u2019s seven match days, the department said in a news release.
\nIt said 45 operators were identified and told to bring down their drones, while another 40 drones were remotely jammed and removed from the sky in restricted zones, including around BC Place and over the Fan Festival in East Vancouver, during the same period.
\n\u201cAirspace can become very congested and the last thing we want to do is have drones colliding with each other and or drones collided with manned aircraft,\u201d Chapman said, noting the water airport in Vancouver Harbour.
\n\u201cWe also had to keep in the back of our mind that unfortunately you look across the world and you see drones and the weaponization of drones and how that might transpire.\u201d
\nHe said that in some situations, police contacted drone operators and told them to land their craft, while in others, jamming technology was used to send the drone back to its operator or into the hands of police.
\nChapman said airspace is a federal responsibility, \u201chence why we brought in some of our partners with the RCMP to do that.\u201d
\nOverall, Chapman hailed the World Cup a policing success.
\nThe department said in a statement that as many as 1,300 officers were out on each of the seven matches with support from RCMP, Metro Vancouver Transit Police, and officers from the Delta, Calgary and Edmonton police services.
\nThe department said there were just three Criminal Code arrests in the fan festival out of about 500,000 visitors, which Chapman said spoke to the positive fan behaviour during the games.
\nWhen asked if there were any major surprises, he cited the years of planning and responded, \u201cI want to say almost proudly, no.\u201d
\nThe department said 16 foreign nationals were arrested across all FIFA venues, including the stadium, the fan fest and the Granville entertainment district, for either breaching the peace or being drunk in a public place. \u2028
\nWhile there were 36 Criminal Code arrests in the Granville entertainment district, Supt. Jeff Neuman said it was \u201clargely peaceful.\u201d
\nNeuman highlighted the years of planning that went into the event, but noted more uncertainty came once the group stage ended. Vancouver hosted five group stage matches and two knockout games.
\n\u201cIt was when we got to the winner-playoff series that it just gave us less time to plan for our intelligence for the teams that did come here,\u201d he told the conference.
\nBut Neuman said VPD\u2019s experience working with protest groups helped them prepare for potential \u201csoccer hooliganism.\u201d
\nChapman said the department was now in a \u201cdemobilization phase\u201d as officers return to regular duties.
\nAnd when asked about updates on policing costs, he deferred those questions to the city and province, saying it is \u201cvery complex\u201d due to cost-sharing agreements between various levels of government.
\nThe provincial government said in April that the federal government would provide $100 million to help pay B.C.\u2019s World Cup security costs.
\nThis report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2026. <\/p>\n