(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

Crime in Vernon involving the street entrenched population has declined by more than 65 per cent in the last two years.

Crime statistics released by Vernon North Okanagan RCMP show police officers dealt with 219 Street Entrenched Policing Target Analysis files between June and August 2021, a decrease from 308 in the same period in 2020, and a significant drop from the 656 files police dealt with in the same period in 2019.

The figures represent a 67 per cent decrease in the amount of crime involving the street entrenched population since 2019.

However, overall crime in Vernon during the summer months increased by 14 per cent compared to June, July, and August of 2020.

The report uses a sample of the 15 most common crimes which have the greatest impact on communities.

While the number of crimes committed did increase compared to last year, summer 2020 saw a 20 per cent drop from 2019.

READ MORE: Vernon crime dropped 20% this summer: report

So far this year Vernon North Okanagan RCMP has received 5,770 calls to service, of which 1,562 were criminal code offences, the majority of which, 975, were property offences.

The figures show a nine per cent increase in calls for service compared to the same period last year.

While the majority of calls for service come from the public, Vernon RCMP continued to increase the number of internally generated calls from 861 in 2020 to 886 in 2021. The figures show an 11 per cent increase since 2019.

When it came to the region's roads, Vernon RCMP took 49 impaired drivers off the road and issued 317 traffic violation tickets and gave out 232 warnings.

Vernon RCMP identified 16 prolific offenders for monitoring. These offenders are capable of causing a disproportionate amount of crime in the community. Of the 16, five are currently in custody, five live in Vernon and three in the outlying rural area. The other three have left the area.

During the same period 2019, Vernon RCMP identified 19 prolific offenders, six of whom were in custody.

READ MORE: At the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, crime in Vernon actually went up

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