Thefts down, assaults up

Property crimes were down last year in Kelowna, but assaults and reports of domestic violence increased from 2019.

Kelowna city council will get a report Monday on policing in 2020 that suggests a mixed impact on crime from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Total calls for service were down 2.5% and there was a marked drop in certain offences like auto theft (down 24%), home break-ins (down 26%) and theft of items from vehicles (down 23%).

But assaults were up 17%, threats and harassment complaints were up 41%, and cases of domestic violence increased 15%.

The rise in domestic disturbance calls, and later on in 2020 an increase in domestic violence calls, was noted in many Canadian cities, the report states.

Drug trafficking offences in Kelowna were unchanged from 2019, and traffic accidents were down 26%.

In the report to council, police say the decline in property offences last year were due to their “targeted efforts” in crime reduction as well as “pandemic-related factors.”

For 2021, the report says, a key priority for Kelowna RCMP will be a continued focus on reducing property crime, in part by targeting prolific offenders.

“My vision for Kelowna is that citizens feel safe here — that they feel able to come forward and report crimes to police and know that we are deploying our resources to the areas of highest crime and utmost importance,” Kelowna RCMP Supt. Kara Triance, who took over command of the local detachment in 2020, states in the report to city council.