Public safety was on the agenda at a Mayor’s Roundtable last week.
Mayor Julius Bloomfield, along with city manager Anthony Haddad, bylaw manager Tina Mercier, public safety and partnerships director Julie Czeck and RCMP Supt. Beth McAndie met with business leaders including Michael Magnusson of Penticton Chamber of Commerce.
At the roundtable they discussed the challenges being faced by residents and businesses, the work currently being done to support the community and possible solutions to ensure people with mental health and addictions are getting the proper supports, said the city.
After the meeting Magnusson thanked the city for having an ‘open and honest’ conversation about the issues they face.
“It’s a good starting point,” said Magnusson.
New RCMP Supt. McAndie was in front of council last month saying crime is down 17 per cent overall for the months of October to December 2023.
Property crimes dropped overall by about nine percent, or 382 files from 2022 to 2023, while violent crime had a nine per cent increase, rising by 86 cases from 1,006 to 1,082.
The 36 per cent drop in commercial break-and-enters, the nine per cent drop in residential break-and-enters and the 43 per cent drop in all other break-and-enters was highlighted in regards to property crime.
The only category of property crime that rose from 2022 to 2023 was fraud, which matches a provincewide trend, while all other categories decreased.
READ MORE: Property crime down in Penticton as RCMP look to more proactive future