Strategic focus pushes community safety agenda

We all want to see a decrease in break-and-enters, theft and mischief crimes so that everyone can go about their daily lives feeling safe in Kelowna.

Getting there has taken a considerable investment in resources, human and otherwise, to address property crime and provide local Business Improvement Areas with the resources they need to partner on this Council priority.

In response to feedback from citizens, the City of Kelowna has taken a strategic, long-term approach to reduce crime. In 2023, Mayor Tom Dyas created the Mayor’s Task Force on Crime Reduction, made up of 13 local leaders and community members.

Last May, Council unanimously adopted all seven of the task force’s recommendations, including immediate actions and longer-term strategies to strengthen safety for residents, businesses, and neighbourhoods.

Rutland receives new dedicated front-line support

The Rutland community is one of the beneficiaries of this investment.

The Kelowna RCMP’s Community Safety Unit, responsible for addressing complex issues and social disorder almost exclusively in the downtown and Rutland urban areas, has expanded its team to include a new, full-time supervisor dedicated to Rutland.

Cpl. Michael Gauthier took on this new post in May, working from the Rutland Community Policing Office. His duties include increasing patrol visibility, community engagement, implementation of new crime prevention strategies, and collaborative efforts to address sensitive and complex community issues. 

Cpl. Gauthier is a welcome addition to the ongoing, proactive efforts of Kelowna's Community Safety Department and the Uptown Rutland Business Association (URBA) to reduce crime in the Rutland community.

The City also recently added two new permanent Bylaw Officers stationed in Rutland, with more officers coming on board for Rutland this summer. These changes will help ensure consistent seven-day-a-week coverage in the neighbourhood, reducing response times and improving service for residents.

Since 2022, Kelowna has increased the size of Bylaw operations by 71 per cent. These changes are not necessarily related to population growth in general — they are strategic, purposeful investments to improve how we respond to identified community needs. This team serves to support two of Council’s top priorities—Crime & Safety and Homelessness.

These actions are making a difference. According to the RCMP, since 2022:

• Business break-ins are down 55 per cent.
• Bike thefts have dropped by 49 per cent.
• Overall property crime is down 17 per cent.

These are encouraging signs that the City’s approach is working, but we all know there is more work to be done.

As Mayor Dyas said in his most recent column, he recently went to Victoria to meet with the Premier, the Attorney General, and the Minister of Public Safety.

“Public safety was at the forefront of those discussions, including the urgent need for bail reform to address repeat property offenders and the establishment of a mandatory, compassionate care facility in the Okanagan to better support people struggling with addiction and mental health challenges,” said Mayor Dyas.

“I echoed the calls that the BC Crown Counsel Association recently made for the need to hire more crown prosecutors for the Kelowna office – we have been bolstering our public safety resources, and it is imperative that the Province does the same with provincial justice and safety teams, working together to impact change.”

With this persistent advocacy and these strategic investments, Kelowna is moving the needle on local crime. This work is never-ending, but we have a staff and Council committed to ensure Kelowna is a leader in strategies and solutions the rest of the province can emulate.