iN NUMBERS: Crime in Kamloops, Okanagan a mixed bag in 2025

RCMP detachments around the region are reporting their year-end numbers and it would be easy to cherry-pick a few numbers and come away with an over simplified take on crime in Kamloops and the Okanagan.

But crime statistics are complicated and require nuance. They don’t always paint the full picture, so take these numbers with a grain of salt.

Here are some of the numbers from the RCMP detachments in Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton:

• 9.5: Per cent. That was the reduction in the number of calls to Penticton RCMP in 2025 compared to 2024.
• 8.5: Per cent. That was the reduction in violent crime for the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP in the last quarter of 2025 compared to 2024.
• 60,176: Calls for service were made to Kelowna RCMP in 2025.
• 15: Per cent fewer people were recommended for charges in Kelowna in 2025 compared to 2024.
• 22: Firearms were seized by Kelowna RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit in 2025.
• 1,073: Hours. That’s how long RCMP officers waited in hospital admissions for mental health incidents.
• 43,447: Police files were opened in 2025 in Kamloops, up slightly over 2024.
• 4: Per cent. That was the decrease in violent crime in Kamloops in 2025 compared to 2024.
• 13: Per cent. That was the increase in shoplifting in Kamloops in 2025 over 2024.
• 3: Prolific offenders, out of 13, were in custody in Kamloops as of Jan. 6.
• 27: Per cent. That was the decrease in business break and enters in Kamloops in 2025 compared to 2024.