Crime returning to pre-pandemic levels in Kelowna: RCMP

As crime in the City of Kelowna returns to pre-pandemic levels, RCMP Supt. Tara Triance has some suggestions to help combat it.

Over the past 20 years, Supt. Triance said she has seen a greater reluctance for the province to keep people in jail while awaiting trial, which has a huge impact on police work levels but also on the public.

“If they are left in the community as to such time as their trials, the likelihood is that they will be dealt with multiple times – 30 to 40 times,” Triance told Kelowna city council yesterday, Nov. 22.

Courts are also less likely to send people to jail who are homeless, drug addicted or have mental health issues, leaving it to police to deal with them.

“There needs to be adequate facilities in the community to address drug addition so that, if someone is choosing not to use substances, they can actually access in a timely manner – not only counselling services but really quick counselling services and detox facilities,” Triance said. “Those are not adequate in any community across B.C. right now.”

Along with that must come a safe drug supply since a lot of petty crimes are committed in order to buy drugs.

That doesn’t mean that she fully supports the province’s proposal to the federal government to decriminalize the possession of personal (of up to 4.5 grams) of illegal drugs.

“One of the most important and relevant topics that have come up most recently for B.C. police chiefs is the proposed decriminalization, which we think, and I believe, are at levels that are higher than personal consumption,” Triance said.

Her comments were made after presenting crime statistics to council that showed 35,000 calls for service were made in the last six months.

READ MORE: COVID’s toll on Kelowna citizens showing up in crime stats as increase in assaults

There have been some time-consuming high profile major crimes. She also wants to get more boots on the ground in downtown and Rutland.

While there were 8,000 hours of foot and bicycle patrols, it’s not a 24/7 effort, she said.

There were also 1,600 calls with a mental health component.

“On-street psychiatric nurses who can attend with police or on their own with social workers or health workers or case workers to be able to address those with the most complex needs in our businesses and on our streets would be very helpful, as well as increased mental health and substance use support,” Triance said.

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