Bylaw calls spike in ‘high-issue’ areas of Kamloops

A city of Kamloops pickup truck.
LEVI LANDRY/iNFOnews.ca

Bylaw calls to “high-issue” areas are up in Kamloops as the officers respond to more often to homelessness and drug-related calls.

Compared to the same period last year, bylaw officers responded to 40 per cent more reports for “social” issues in the most prone areas of the city, according to a report to city council.

The report tallies bylaw, fire department and RCMP calls in the third quarter of the year.

Bylaw officers, renamed community service officers by the city, have been given increasing responsibilities in Kamloops. A cohort of them have also been recently recognized as peace officers as the city expands their role.

It’s part of what’s been a long-term effort to have the department respond to calls related to homelessness, nuisance drug use and other social issues, rather than relying on police.

According to city statistics, the vast majority of bylaw calls are for those types of calls. In the past six months, they accounted for 2,243 of 2,745 reports in the areas deemed “high-issue.”

There is a downward trend in calls to Valleyview and Victoria Street West, but they’re up for the rest of Victoria Street, the Tranquille Corridor and Sahali, around Columbia Street and Notre Dame Drive, according to the report.

The Tranquille Road corridor sees the most “social” calls with 1,220 in the past six months, but Notre Dame Driving has seen a bigger jump in bylaw responses from the year previous, increasing to 212 compared to just 74 in the same period last year.

For bylaw officers, their calls are increasing to areas most prone to social issues, while police have seen a downward trend in non-criminal calls, especially downtown and in Sahali.

Reports of crime in some areas are rising, according to the report.

Calls to Kamloops RCMP for criminal behaviour on Tranquille are up by 61 per cent to nearly 700 reports in the past six months compared to 2024. There were just 111 calls to the Notre Dame Drive area in that time, but it’s up by 42% from the year before.

The report will go to a council committee on Oct. 28 and can be found online here.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

Levi Landry

Levi is a recent graduate of the Communications, Culture, & Journalism program at Okanagan College and is now based in Kamloops. After living in the BC for over four years, he finds the blue collar and neighbourly environment in the Thompson reminds him of home in Saskatchewan. Levi, who has previously been published in Kelowna’s Daily Courier, is passionate about stories focussed on both social issues and peoples’ experiences in their local community. If you have a story or tips to share, you can reach Levi at 250 819 3723 or email LLandry@infonews.ca.

Related Articles