City and Kelowna RCMP collaborating to address crime
News Release
The City of Kelowna and Kelowna RCMP are reaffirming their commitment to crime reduction and community safety in response to Statistics Canada’s release today of its annual Crime Severity Index (CSI).
“Crime and safety are among the top priorities of this Council,” says Mayor Tom Dyas. “We hear and share the frustration many residents and business owners have about this issue, and we are steadfast in our commitment to addressing crime in Kelowna and building the safest, most vibrant community possible.”
The CSI report released this year, which analyzes data from 2022, ranked the Central Okanagan second in crime overall, ninth in violent crime and first in non-violent crime. Property crime is driving the region’s CSI score. The RCMP reported more than 25 per cent of stolen property is reported unlocked, a reminder that simply locking our doors is a great way to protect our property.
“We have developed a series of programs and resources to address key areas of crime and safety for our community,” Dyas adds. “The 2023 budget provides funding for six new RCMP officers and four Bylaw Services officers. We also approved an ongoing one per cent Public Safety Levy which will ensure we can continue to invest in new crime and safety initiatives as we recognize there is more that needs to be done.”
The Mayor’s Task Force on Crime Reduction, which met for the first time on July 12, is enabling Council to better hear from and work with a variety of voices in our community bringing new ideas to ongoing efforts to reduce crime. Additionally, the City has been a leading advocate for greater provincial justice system response to repeat property crime offenders. Advocacy efforts have led to a Provincial investigation into repeat offending and a recent tabling of bail reforms against repeat violent offenders by the Federal Minister of Justice.
The CSI report was released this morning, analyzing police-reported crime in 36 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) across Canada. There are only four CMAs in B.C. — Kelowna, Vancouver, Victoria and Abbotsford-Mission. The Kelowna CMA includes Peachland, West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, Kelowna and Lake Country.
The Kelowna RCMP uses Statistics Canada data alongside its own expertise and internal data to respond to trends and community needs in a timely manner. The RCMP provides routine reporting and analysis to the public and City Council on crime in our community and this data is used to target and reduce specific types of prevalent crime in our community on an ongoing basis. Encouragingly, the RCMP reported a 32.8 per cent drop in cases of business break-and-enter in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Because the CSI is based on 2022 data, these 2023 trends are not reflected in the Statistics Canada release.
The Kelowna RCMP and City of Kelowna received the CSI report today and both parties are reviewing the data prior to making any comments.
Residents can promote safety in their neighbourhood by becoming a Block Connector, which is part of the City’s Strong Neighbourhoods program. The Strong Neighbourhoods program aims to build a sense of community and connectedness on every street, apartment and condo complex in Kelowna. Visit kelowna.ca/blockconnector for more information.
The City developed a Community Safety Toolkit and Business Safety Toolkit based on feedback from the business community and in partnership with the RCMP. The toolkits provide practical steps to promote community safety and are available at kelowna.ca/communitysafety.
