Kelowna RCMP Supt. Kara Triance

(CARLI BERRY / iNFOnews.ca)

In reaction to an iNFOnews.ca story about a “Take Back Kelowna” Facebook group being launched to deal with street crime, the RCMP has named two prolific offenders recently arrested and blame the courts for contributing to the problem.

“Citizens have the right to feel safe in their communities but when citizens take the law into their own hands, things can go wrong, very quickly,” Const. Mike Della-Paolera Kelowna, media relations officer for Kelowna RCMP, said in a news release. “It is easy to find yourself in a dangerous situation, or in legal hot water. Crimes are never victimless, therefore need to be reported to the police no matter how insignificant they appear to some.”

The Facebook group was launched on July 19 and has refused to talk to the media. It seems to be modeled after the Clean Streets Penticton group that started patrolling that city’s streets this summer in an effort to recover goods they think may have been stolen.

READ MORE: Kelowna residents look to follow Penticton group's lead by fighting petty crime

The RCMP news release identifies two prolific offenders who were recently arrested in Kelowna: Daniel Wiest, 31, and Bryce Williamson, 33.

Wiest was arrested on May 29 by the RCMP’s “Proactive Enforcement Team.”

By that time he had racked up 18 charges related to break and enters over a two-month period.

Williamson was arrested by the team on June 30 and it is recommending more than 50 charges be approved against him.

Police also recovered $80,000 worth of stolen property.

Both men are still in custody.

But, that’s not always the case in such situations.

“As a result of changes in case law, police investigations are far more complex than they were even a decade ago and repeat offenders are being released into the community without adequate support and care for criminal activity that is driven by addictions and mental health issues,” Della-Paolera wrote.

“These are complex issues, yet for our community, there is a growing perception respecting the inability of police, the justice system or health care system to adequately respond to incidents of crime – especially property crime associated with social issues such as mental health, substance use, and homelessness.”

In May, the provincial government hired two experts to look into the issues surrounding prolific offenders and report back this fall.

READ MORE: B.C. aims to support repeat offenders while protecting communities

“I am hopeful that this work will lead to improved health care and justice systems in order to address this problem in our community,” Kelowna Regional RCMP Officer in Charge, Supt. Kara Triance said in the news release. “Our officers will continue to arrest people committing criminal acts and need well-functioning social and justice systems to defer to in order to stop the impacts on our communities.”

Police are well aware of the impact on residents of the problems with the current justice system.

“These complexities are breeding decreased confidence, and growing frustration and demands on local police and municipalities; neither of which have the scope or mandates to address the underlying issues,” Della-Paolera wrote. “The justice, health, and social and housing systems are under duress and without adequate care or consequences for repeat offenders, public confidence will result in citizen’s frustrations.”

In the meantime, residents can do things like secure their valuables at night and record their serial numbers.

They can also join police-supported volunteer groups like Block Connect and Crimestoppers, the news release says.

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