Violent crimes in Penticton rose over the first three months of the year, according to the RCMP’s report.
The quarterly report, being presented to council on May 4, noted overall crime was up by just three per cent compared to 2020’s first quarter from 1,714 to 1,770, driven largely by an increase in violent offences. Those violent offences include assaults, sexual offences, domestic violence and uttering threats.
Threats saw the largest increase, going from 48 to 78 from 2020 to 2021 for a 63 per cent increase.
Domestic violence was the only category of violence crime to go down, decreasing by 23 per cent or from 44 to 34 cases from 2020 to 2021.
Overall violent crime rose by 18 per cent, from 213 criminal code files to 252 in 2021.
Property crimes on the other hand decreased overall by eight per cent for the first three months of 2021 compared to 2020.
READ MORE: Property crime drops 15 per cent in 2020: RCMP report
Auto thefts decreased by 15 per cent, bicycle thefts by 28 per cent, break and entering for businesses by 44 per cent and residences by five per cent.
Mischief to property and break and enter non-residential or business were the only two categories of property crime to increase, going from 312 to 420 and from 29 to 36 respectively from 2020 to 2021.
Shoplifting and thefts from vehicles both dropped by over 30 per cent, going from 172 and 208 cases in 2020, to 112 and 144 in 2021.
Overall, property crimes dropped from 1,145 to 1,058 from 2020 to 2021.
The top ten calls received for the RCMP for the first three months is also listed in the report.
At the top were 385 calls for an unwanted person, 259 calls to report a disturbance, 244 calls to report a theft, 198 to call for a wellness check and 197 for a suspicious person.
There were 185 calls to assist another agency, 162 calls regarding suspiciouns circumstances, 150 calls to report a traffic incident, 118 calls regarding mischief and 108 abandoned 911 calls round out the top 10.
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