Crime is on the rise in Penticton

PENTICTON — Crime in Penticton appears to have gone up significantly in the last year and calls to Penticton RCMP is rising fast. 

According to a report by Penticton RCMP Supt. Kevin Hewco, calls for service in 2014 was up seven per cent over 2013 to 4,054 but in the last quarter it was 22 per cent.

That shakes down to increases in specific crimes but also to bookings in city cells. During the fourth quarter of 2014, Penticton RCMP held 470 prisoners in the detachment’s cell block, up from 386 in the same period of 2013. Last year, 1,846 prisoners were held in RCMP cells compared to 1,810 in 2013.

The fourth quarter of 2014 saw a spike in commercial break and enter complaints but one of the most significant increases was in apartment and condominium break and enters between October and December, Hewco said. Those numbers rose from 43 in the third quarter to 81 in the fourth. However, since the arrest of several individuals believed to have been associated with the crimes, the number of similar cases have dropped considerably so far this year, he said.

Every RCMP detachment in Canada is mandated to prepare an annual performance plan which is tailored to identify local policing priorities. The City of Penticton’s Protective Services Committee plays a large role in helping the RCMP understand which issues hold highest priority in the city.

The 2014/15 plan will be geared towards the following six concerns; contributing to safe roads, reducing the amount of drugs, police/community relations and police visibility, contribute to safer youth, crime reduction and contributing to safer and healthier aboriginal communities.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.