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(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

Kelowna is no longer the crime capital of Canada after a measurable decrease in crime, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada.

That distinction now belongs to Kamloops crime stats released today, July 25, show. It had a higher crime rate than Kelowna last year with 14,700 crimes per 100,000 residents. The city’s crime rate was higher than Kelowna’s, but it was still a four per cent decrease from 2022.

Kamloops police charged 919 people out of the 15,726 incidents.

Kelowna has the lowest crime rate since before the pandemic. In 2022, the City of Kelowna had the highest crime rate in the country for a metropolitan area with 13,455 crimes per 100,000 residents. In 2023, there were 11,836 crimes per 100,000 residents, which was a 12 per cent decrease for the city.

In a media release, Kelowna RCMP’s top cop Supt. Kara Triance credited numerous initiatives from police for the decrease in crime; increasing police visibility in streets, parks, and problem areas, daily tracking of police-reported crime to deploy resources effectively, focusing on more severe crimes, and other initiatives.

READ MORE: Kelowna retains its crime capital of Canada title

“I am proud of our efforts and pleased with the steady decrease in 2023 crime across many areas of violent and non-violent crime,” Supt. Triance said in the release.

“Our police professionals will continue to tackle crime drivers relentlessly, serving the public with commitment and professionalism. We value our partnerships in our communities, and together, we will continue to strive to achieve significant changes by addressing the root causes of criminality.”

There were more than 19,000 crimes committed in Kelowna in 2023, and police charged a total of 1,639 people.

There were 7,022 incidents in Penticton, but adjusted to a rate per 100,000 residents the crime rate was 18,167, and in Vernon the crime rate was 13,704.

Kamloops and Kelowna are the two cities in the Interior that are large enough for Statistics Canada to calculate a crime severity index. Crime severity index measures how serious crimes are and calculates an average. Crimes are given a severity value first-degree murder has a crime severity value of 8273.62 while mischief has a value of 26.99.  

Kamloops' crime severity index for 2023 is 165, and Kelowna's was 118. 

Click here for the numbers from Statistics Canada.

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