Kelowna crime down in most categories to start 2021

In the first three months of 2021, there were fewer calls to police in Kelowna but a wide range of increases and decreases in various crime categories, according to a report that RCMP detachment commander Supt. Kara Triance will report to city council Monday.

Total calls for service were down 2.4 per cent to 13,482 for the period but response time for Priority 1 calls was up 4.1 per cent to 7.7 minutes and up 2.1 per cent to 9.8 minutes for Priority 2 calls.

Drug overdose files were up 76.5 per cent to 30 while calls with a mental health component were up 9.1 per cent to 468.

Crimes against people were down two per cent to 711 but some offences increased significantly.

There was a 16.6 per cent increase in uttering threats/harassment charges to 176 and a 4.5 per cent increase in common assaults to 299.

On the positive side, sex offence charges dropped 40 per cent, but that’s on a very small number of cases, dropping to six from 10.

Sexual assault was down 13.6 per cent to 38 cases and assaults with weapons dropped 38.6 per cent to 51.

When it comes to property crime, the total number dropped 10 per cent to 2,424.

The biggest drops were break and enter (down 42.1 per cent to 44) shoplifting (down 23.8 per cent to 272), theft from motor vehicles (down 19.6 per cent to 525) and auto theft down 6.1 per cent to 920.

Bike thefts increased 17.1 per cent to 96 from 82.

“Kelowna RCMP’s leadership team will be closely monitoring and doubling down on the incidence of bike theft,” the report states.

Drug trafficking charges were down 18.4 per cent to 31 while traffic tickets issued were up 27.7 per cent to 1,908.

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