Penticton City Council, from left, Frank Regehr, Katy Robinson, Jake Kimberley, John Vassilaki, Judy Sentes, Campbell Watt and Julius Bloomfield.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

Penticton's mayor is requesting funding for three more cops, four additional bylaw officers and two community officers to combat crime in the city.

In a notice of motion, Mayor John Vassilaki is requesting the funds for the police as Penticton has the highest criminal code caseload per officer of any of the 31 detachments that service populations greater than 15,000 across B.C., according to the city council agenda for Oct. 5.

Penticton’s caseload per officer is currently 170 while the average is 71 across the 31 B.C. detachments.

Vassilaki said the additional officers would enhance the RCMP’s ability to target prolific offenders who are the main causes of crime in the community. “We currently do not have enough police resources to effectively police our prolific offenders and hold them accountable,” he said, in the documents.

The additional officers would cost the city $588,000 annually. If the resolution receives council’s support, city staff will provide council with additional information and options during the annual budget deliberations.

The four additional bylaw officers would also support the RCMP by being responsive to lower-level nuisances and non-criminal matters. The additional costs of the bylaw officers would be $358,000 per year. There would also be additional costs for workstations, uniforms, vehicles and other incidentals of $42,000 for 2022, and an additional $5,500 a year for a total budget impact of $400,000, according to the city documents.

This would equate to a 1.1% tax increase, according to the city.

Vassilaki would also like to see two more community safety officers, who assist bylaw and RCMP officers by conducting patrols throughout the city to respond to incidents. They would cost the city an additional $116,832 for 2022, with grant funding covering $54,393.

Coun. Campbell Watt is also making a motion for staff to look at the costs, legality and effectiveness of implementing a security camera system in the city’s downtown. If approved, council could direct staff to provide $40,000 to the Downtown Business Association to implement a pilot program.

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