This sketch of a man suspected of committing a sexual assault is posted on a new Prince George RCMP webpage.
Image Credit: Submitted/Prince George RCMP
August 14, 2023 - 7:30 AM
Penticton has the ninth highest crime rate in BC and the highest in the Thompson-Okanagan region.
Prince George is not far behind at thirteenth but it’s taking action to let its residents know not only what’s going on but how they can help out.
Earlier this week it launched a new feature on its website called “Can You Identify These Individuals?”
It uses photos from surveillance videos and forensic sketches to elicit public information about suspected crimes.
“We have a good working relationship with the Loss Prevention Officers from many stores in Prince George, who provide us with surveillance photos of people suspected of shoplifting, for example,” Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, media relations officer for the Prince George RCMP, said in a news release. “This is a place where we can display these images, in the hopes that someone will recognize the suspects and provide us with that information.
“Shoplifting is one type of crime that will be showcased on the new webpage, but it is not the only type. Any investigation where police are looking for assistance from the public to identify a person or vehicle will be available for viewing on the new webpage.”
The man pictured in the sketch above, for example is suspected of a sexual assault on July 2 around 2:30 a.m. in the 400 block of George Street.
The site includes a detailed description of this suspect and how to contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers to provide information.
This surveillance camera photo only contains a date and time but no details of the suspected crime.
Image Credit: Submitted/Prince George RCMP
Some of the photos contain only a date and time but most are quite detailed.
The “Can You Identify These Individuals?” website can be viewed here.
While Penticton and Prince George have similar crime rates, Kamloops fares better as the 30th worst in BC, Vernon ranks 35th, Kelowna 37th and West Kelowna 107th out of 183.
RCMP detachments in those cities do not have similar websites, although Crime Stoppers in the various cities do publish MugShots of people who have been charged with crimes but are still at large.
Prince George has another tool that the southern cities lack — a crime map.
That was once posted out of the RCMP but is now on a City of Prince George site called: “Reported Property Crime in Prince George.”
The current posting shows crimes committed between Jan. 1 and July 22 of this year.
The interactive map allows users to click on an icon that lists the nature of the crime, location, date, time and file number.
It can be accessed here.
This is a screen shot of the downtown area of Prince George on that city's crime map.
Image Credit: Submitted/City of Prince George.
iNFOnews.ca has asked Kamloops and Okanagan RCMP for this data for years. Most recently, for example, we sought data about crimes reported in the neighbourhoods surrounding supportive housing buildings.
READ MORE: Is crime a legitimate concern for Kelowna supportive housing?
“We do not release this information because the stats are continually changing as a result of internal and external influences,” Kelowna RCMP media relations officer Const. Mike Della-Paolera said in an email to iNFOnews.ca on Feb. 7, 2023.
“The concern, when stats are up, or marginalized, innocent people could become scapegoats. The fear is they become targeted or even their building becomes a target of the community who blame the residents.”
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