FILE PHOTO - Kamloops RCMP Supt. Syd Lecky is seen in this undated file photo.

(ASHLEY LEGASSIC / iNFOnews.ca)

Residential break-ins are on the rise in Kamloops this year.

There have been 160 residential break and enters in Kamloops so far in 2021, while business break and enters have dropped compared to 2020, according to RCMP statistics.

When presenting a report to the Kamloops community services committee today, Dec. 9, detachment commander Supt. Syd Lecky it's partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year was unusual because many businesses were unoccupied, he said.

Property crime in Kamloops is up by 11% between July and September, compared to 2020. However, over the course of the year, there's been 6,650 offences and 6,550 in 2020.

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"Our crime reduction team has stood down to make up for frontline staffing," Lecky said, but he added that more work is being done to address prolific offenders in Kamloops.

The prolific offender committee, he said, includes the Kamloops detachment working with prosecutors and other groups to hold offenders accountable. That can include increased efforts to ensure offenders are meeting their bail conditions and curfews.

There have been nearly 200 fewer business break and enters in Kamloops this year compared to 2020.

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In the third quarter of this year, there have been 70 residential break ins, compared to 46 in the same time last year - a more than 50% increase.

In 2019, there were 48 residential break ins.

For businesses, there's been a 71% decrease in break and enters so far in 2021, when compared to 2020.

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Vehicle thefts have also been on the rise with a 32% increase compared to last year. Up to the end of September, there's been 258 vehicles stolen in Kamloops, compared to 194 in the same time last year.

Shoplifting has remained roughly the same as last year, and Supt. Lecky told the committee today he doesn't expect to see a dramatic increase in the Tournament Capital as Christmas approaches.

Kamloops RCMP report a total of 547 shoplifting files in 2021 and 546 in 2020.

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