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How common crimes compare in Southern Interior cities

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From bike thefts to property crime, Kelowna RCMP has broken down which cities in the Thompson-Okanagan are plagued with the most issues.

Penticton has the highest rate of bicycle thefts out of Kelowna, North Okanagan and Kamloops for the summer months, according to a city council presentation from Kelowna RCMP.

Since 2014, there's been a spike in bike thefts in Penticton virtually every summer, rising well above the rates of bike thefts in the other jurisdictions.

Penticton RCMP even compared the numbers of thefts from 2012 compared to 2016.

In August 2016, the rate of bike thefts in Penticton was nearly double that of other jurisdictions like Kamloops, Kelowna and the North Okanagan.

It's not solely a Penticton problem. In 2016, bike thefts were most common in Kamloops during the month of June, whereas the North Okanagan saw a spike in June, and Kelowna in August.

The rate of bicycle thefts in the Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops and North Okanagan jurisdictions over the past three years.
The rate of bicycle thefts in the Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops and North Okanagan jurisdictions over the past three years.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/City of Kelowna

When it comes to thefts from vehicles, no community is immune, but Kamloops led the pack for 2016, and so far in 2017.

It's been an issue the Kamloops RCMP has continuously been trying to educate the public on. The Kamloops detachment has already sent out three news releases about thefts from vehicles in the city this month alone.

It's also an issue residents have been vocal about over social media over the past year, whether alerting people to potential thieves in the area, or asking for information on a theft.

Kamloops saw a spike in thefts from vehicles from April to August of 2016, once again in the warmer months of the year.

During 2016, the rate of thefts from vehicles in Kamloops appeared to drop after the summer, but pick back up in November. Since February of this year, things have trended upward in the city, with the rate of thefts from vehicles more than twice as high in April. 

Since a spike in thefts from vehicles in Penticton in July 2015, things appeared to have calmed down in the city with the most recent spike in October 2016. Numbers in Penticton have been trending downward from February to April 2017.

Kelowna's most recent spike appears to be between August and September 2016. Numbers trended downward to December 2016 and stayed relatively static until February.

In the North Okanagan, the rate of thefts from vehicles hit a high in October 2016 but reports of these crimes went down until February of this year. They've slowly crept back up in April.

The rate of thefts from vehicles in the Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops and North Okanagan jurisdictions over the past three years.
The rate of thefts from vehicles in the Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops and North Okanagan jurisdictions over the past three years.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/City of Kelowna

As for all property crime reported, Penticton had the highest rate out of the other jurisdictions in the summer of 2015, peaking in August, and having the most reported property crime compared to other jurisdictions during early 2017.

Earlier this year, a Penticton RCMP report detailed an uptick in property crime in the Peach City. In the first two months of this year compared to the first two months of last year, there's been a 42 per cent increase in reported property crime.

In Kamloops, these crimes were reported at a lower rate in February 2017 but have shot slightly ahead of Penticton in April of this year.

Numbers in the North Okanagan trended down from November 2016 to February of this year. Reports of property crimes are now heading slightly upward in the jurisdiction.

The rate of property crime in Kelowna has nearly doubled since February of this year.

The rate of all property crimes in the Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops and North Okanagan jurisdictions over the past three years.
The rate of all property crimes in the Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops and North Okanagan jurisdictions over the past three years.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/City of Kelowna

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ashley Legassic or call 250-319-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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