One of the eyebrow-raising statistics Kelowna council heard from an RCMP year-in-review was that 20 individuals were responsible for more than 3,575 property crimes between 2020 and 2022.
Inspector Beth McAndie told council it works out to 60 service calls per person, per year.
“That means, on average, our officers are arresting each of our top offenders more than once a week every week for the last two years,” she added.
McAndie also noted that the individuals were either experiencing mental health or substance issues, or homelessness.
The report stated that calls for service with a mental health component dropped 6.7 per cent in 2022 over 2021, and service calls for overdose went up 9.7 percent.
It also showed a decrease in residential break-and-enters in 2022, but an increase in business and commercial break-and-enters, shoplifting and bike theft.
In response, RCMP began targeted enforcement of priority repeat offenders in mid-August, which resulted in a significant reduction in those crimes through the end of the year.
Total calls for service last year were down six per cent, at 60,030 compared to 63,888 in 2021. However, service calls from the downtown area were up more than 12 per cent.
READ MORE: Kelowna saw more than 43% increase in robberies in 2022: RCMP report
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