RCMP Supt. Kara Triance.

Image Credit: Submitted/Kelowna RCMP

Property crime climbed dramatically in Kelowna over the past six months, largely due to a relatively small number of repeat offenders.

“The number of priority offenders in our community is approximately 250,” Kelowna RCMP Supt. Tara Triance told Kelowna city council today, Nov. 28. “We have a full-time job monitoring and prioritizing those who are most active. Developing important intel to provide to officers and to narrow that focus is a very cumbersome job.”

Theft with violence or intimidation jumped 91% over the six months ending Sept. 30 compared to 2021. Bike thefts were up 85% in the second quarter of the year with business break-ins up 35-38% in each of the last two quarters.

READ MORE: Kelowna saw increase in robberies, decrease in violent crime over past six months

“Prolific offenders are a small number of people who commit a disproportionately large amount of property crime,” Triance said. “This is particularly true for property crimes where it’s been estimated 50 to 60% of crime is committed by 5% to 10% of the people who offend.”

There are many reasons for this, she said.

“Most repeat offenders and individuals who are unable to display pro-social behaviour in our public spaces are currently struggling with long term trauma, significant mental health and substance use challenges and other related issues,” Triance said.

Complicating that picture is what happens when those who are jailed do their time and are let out of jail.

“There’s not adequate housing for all the people being released from jail,” Triance said. “In fact, some people are being released to the outdoor sheltering site as their primary residence which, we know, is not adequate because that site is closed during the day and they are able to wander.”

Being short-staffed during the summer while having to cope with the influx of tourists, including criminals, took officers away from specialized teams so they could do frontline enforcement work.

There have been 23 new officers added to the force this year with another 20 expected to arrive in the next 90 days to fill out the 222 officers funded for the Kelowna detachment.

Now that those numbers have increased, special teams have been reassembled to focus on areas that cause the city to have the highest crime severity index in the country: business break-ins, bike theft, fraud and shoplifting.

By focussing on those crime types, Triance is hoping to help Kelowna lose its title of "crime capital of Canada."

READ MORE: Which Kelowna mayoralty candidate is telling you the truth about crime and taxes?

She is also hopeful that measures announced by Premier Dave Eby over the past couple of weeks will enhance her ability to crack down on prolific offenders.

One positive note has been the integrated court where a number of agencies work with certain criminals to try to get to the root of their behaviour and put plans in place to change that.

All those who have agreed to go through that court have continued with the program, Triance said.

The drawback is that some cases have been repeatedly deferred until treatment spaces are available for those who need them.

The other concern is that the integrated court is on a two-year pilot project that runs out in May 2023. Efforts are underway to try to convince the province to keep that court going.

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