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Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK
March 06, 2023 - 5:00 PM
Penticton RCMP responded to fewer calls for service last year compared to 2021 and 2020 – however there was an increase in violent crime.
The annual crime stats are included in an RCMP report being presented to city council tomorrow, March 7.
It shows there were 16,756 calls for service in 2022, down from 17,305 last year and 17,145 in 2020.
The number of files related to the Canadian Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act rose from 7,066 in 2021 to 7387 in 2022. The number of reports related to violent crime also rose from 980 in 2021 to 1,013 last year.
The overall number of police files was brought down in 2022 by lower rates of property crime, which dropped from 7,387 in 2021 to 7,066 in 2022. However, there was an increase in bicycle thefts last year compared to the two prior.
READ MORE: Penticton most crime ridden city in Thompson-Okanagan and much of B.C.
Council will also receive a public safety report at tomorrow's regular meeting.
The report says officers are often responding to calls that are not enforcement related.
“The ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign has inadvertently contributed to this, with persons most likely to call the police," reads the report.
The public safety report also says Penticton has one of the highest levels of online reporting in the province. With so many calls for service and not enough staff, the local detachment has to triage the calls that come in.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/City of Penticton
The report recommends hiring new sworn officers and civilian employees to improve local policing.
It also recommends investing in a community policing van, and a fire and rescue rapid response unit to reduce wear and tear on the Penticton Fire Department’s larger vehicles.
The city should also develop numerous plans related to strengthen neighbourhoods, community safety, and ensuring interoperability, the report says.
And the it found that locals “give the RCMP low marks for proactive engagement with the community,” so the City should invest in “heal related roles.”
Both reports will be presented at the March 7 council meeting which begins at 1 p.m.
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