Bylaw officers patrol Lake Ave. beach access on June 24, 2015.

(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

KELOWNA - Visitors to Kelowna can expect to see a few more bylaw officers making the rounds this summer.

With the hiring of four new officers this spring, bylaw services manager David Gazley said his department will have the equivalent of 19 full-time bylaw officers.

That number includes Gazley himself, plus a supervisor and two senior officers. In addition, the bylaw department also keeps eight casual officers who fill in on summer bike patrols downtown and also work special events.

The casuals also work with the parking services department and fill in for absences, Gazley added.

The four new officers will form part of a community response unit comprised of RCMP and mental health workers.

Budget for bylaw services in 2017 was $1.8 million.

Augmenting bylaw officers are a number of contract security officers provided by Paladin Security.

Risk manager Lance Kayfish said the city spends $860,000 annually on contracted security, not including at the city-owned Kelowna International Airport.

Kayfish said that is roughly equivalent to 12 full-time officers who fill a variety of roles including live CCTV monitoring, foot and mobile patrols and dispatching other guards.

Thoughout the rest of the year, Kayfish said one officer is stationed during the day at Stuart Park and another at the Queensway transit exchange while both respond to calls throughout the downtown core. They are backed up by two mobile officers.

While hours vary, Kayfish said another six officers are on duty overnight and respond to calls anywhere they are needed.

During the summer, an additional officer is added to the transit exchange, two more in the downtown area and another two at City Park. Overnight, there are seven additional mobile officers that can respond to calls anywhere in the city, Kayfish said.

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