The B.C. government “had no reason” to overlook Penticton when choosing locations for its new province-wide hubs that will target repeat offenders, says a city councillor.
At the April 18 meeting, Coun. Helena Konanz said she’s disappointed the city was not selected as one of the 12 communities to receive a task force for such individuals.
The provincial government announced last week that hubs of police, prosecutors and probation officers will be based in Nanaimo, Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster, Abbotsford, Kamloops, Kelowna, Cranbrook, Prince George, Williams Lake and Terrace. Each city will serve its surrounding communities.
READ ALSO: B.C. government setting up 12 ‘hubs’ dedicated to targeting repeat violent offenders
“I’m disappointed that the province overlooked us,” Konanz said Tuesday during council’s roundtable.
“It wasn’t because of our crime stats because we know we have one of the worst crime stats per capita in the province. Secondly, it wasn’t because of the size community… there were smaller communities chosen like Cranbrook, Terrace and Williams Lake.”
The nearest hub to Penticton will be located in Kelowna and violent repeat offenders across the South Okanagan will instead be managed from there.
Kelowna mayor Tom Dyas said last week he hopes the hub will be in place by the summer.
The dedicated enforcement hubs make up the province’s Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative.
READ ALSO: Kelowna mayor hopes to have hub dealing with repeat offenders in place by summer
Konanz says the hub’s placement reaffirms Penticton’s need for a local plan to tackle crime in the community, without relying on the provincial government to take action.
In a quarterly statistics report presented by RCMP Supt. Brian Hunter in 2022, it was revealed that Penticton’s five most prolific offenders each have an average of 93 contacts with the police.
Prolific offenders on the Lower Mainland average 63 per cent fewer contacts with police, Hunter shared at the time.
“Obviously, we’re going to continue to have to make a made-in-Penticton answer for the crime situation we’ve been dealing with for many years now,” Konanz said.
READ ALSO: Repeat violent offenders in the South Okanagan to be managed from hub in Kelowna
READ ALSO: Prolific offenders in Penticton average 93 contacts with police
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