Be wary of local politicians making promises on crime this election

Public safety is on the top of the list for many election candidates in Kamloops and the Okanagan, but voters should be careful of the ones who promise they can fix it.

Everyone wants an end to social disorder seen on BC streets, but former city councillor Arjun Singh has been at the table long enough to know there are no simple solutions and local governments have limited powers.

“Voters should be wary of people who give easy answers to hard questions,” Singh said. “Homelessness, substance misuse or high-level crime—those aren’t easy things to engage with or solve, but I think it’s important for people to work on.”

Municipal governments can set service levels for police and bylaw officers, even some priorities for their police departments. They can use planning and infrastructure to deter or disperse crime and over the years some cities have gotten creative.

But they have no impact on bail, sentencing or arrests often called for on social media, as many candidates may claim, beyond lobbying other governments.

Still, it remains the top issue throughout the region, as it is for Kelowna’s incumbent mayor Tom Dyas on his website, even after four years of searching or answers. He spoke to federal politicians in Ottawa about the need for bail reform, lobbied for a downtown supervised consumption site to be closed and alongside Okanagan mayors, called for mandatory mental health treatment.

In Kamloops, Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson’s most notable proposals in 2022 included building a treatment facility in a rural neighbourhood and to audit the services of local non-profits.

These are examples of what mayors and councils have tried, with very mixed results.

“If people are expecting easier answers, I think that’s what happened in Kamloops last time in some ways, and look how that’s gone,” Singh said.

The audit remains on Hamer-Jackson’s platform in 2026, along with few council candidates following his path.

The province bears more responsibility when it comes to homelessness and crime, but Singh doesn’t short-change the influence of local government, particularly with some creativity and gumption.

Kamloops and Penticton have both enhanced their bylaw departments to deal with homeless encampments and low-level crime, for example. The former started the initiative six years ago.

But assuming provincial government roles comes with big costs.

“Local governments can take more responsibilities. It’s a question of how much they want to spend,” Singh said.

Staying within the traditional bounds of local government’s role, they can increase police spending and urge the detachment to focus on downtown foot patrols, for example, as Kelowna has done.

But, Singh put an emphasis on local officials lobbying the provincial government. Kamloops has done so to seek a community court and “situation tables” to deal with the most prolific offenders.

Kelowna, meanwhile, has lobbied the federal government for bail reform, and all in the region have pushed for both involuntary and so-called complex care programs.

It’s a small and crucial part of the role of councillor or mayor, just not a sexy one for election slogans and signs.