Cops in Kamloops, Kelowna prepare for summertime crime

Kamloops and Kelowna cops are getting out of their patrol cars to walk the beat this summer.

In an effort to support businesses in the city’s major corridors, Kamloops RCMP are adding foot patrols to their response to property crime and social disorder.

Supt. Jeff Pelley told a city council committee that officers are partnering with bylaw officers to keep a presence in urban areas hardest hit.

“We looked at intensifying our presence along not only the Tranquille corridor but many of our other… business corridors,” Pelley said.

The foot patrols, which started on April 13, run five days per week. It comes as police see an increase in both criminal and non-criminal calls to downtown, the North Shore and Lower Sahali, but Tranquille Road had the highest increase.

It’s also an area that’s gotten the most attention recently with city council agreeing to extend a permit for the controversial Pathways shelter. That area in particular, within the southern-most section of Tranquille Road, has seen an increase in bylaw and police patrols already since the shelter opened.

The concern from businesses and the response by police echoes similar issues in Kelowna, where RCMP committed to increasing foot patrols in the downtown area.

In February, a downtown business owner told iNFOnews.ca the police and bylaw presence initially appeared to be deterring some criminal behaviour.

The outcry from business owners spurred the city to host a public forum, where city staff committed to also increasing patrols overnight. It was one of three public forums hosted by government officials amid growing frustration from the public.

In Kamloops, Pelley said the patrols “compliment” the detachment’s other units by deterring crime and helping detect crime quickly.