The number of calls for police service in Penticton dropped slightly in 2020.
According to statistics from the Penticton South Okanagan Similkameen Regional Detachment, the Penticton municipal detachment received 3,591 calls for service in the fourth quarter of 2020, a decrease of 11 per cent from the same period in 2019.
For the entire year, the RCMP detachment received 16,262 calls for service, a decrease of nine per cent from 2019 statistics.
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Violent crime statistics in 2020 were slightly lower than the 2019 figures in most categories, although the number of assaults increased by three per cent.
The number of sex offences fell by 11 per cent, with 80 reported in 2020, compared to 90 throughout 2019.
Property crimes showed significant decreases in all but one of the categories listed, with a 15 per cent decrease observed.
In 2020, there were 195 auto thefts reported, down by 38 per cent from 2019. Residential break and enters fell by 37 per cent while business break and enters fell by 25 per cent. Other break and enters were down by 36 per cent from 2019 figures.
The only category where property crimes increased was fraud, with 374 cases reported in 2020. This is an increase of 11 per cent from 2019.
For the Penticton rural areas, the number of calls for service fell by four per cent, with 3,179 calls received in 2020.
Violent crimes decreased slightly, but significant increases were seen in two categories.
The number of sex offences fell by 25 per cent, dropping from 20 in 2019 to 15 in 2020. The number of domestic violence cases dropped by 21 per cent, from 33 in 2019 to 26 in 2020.
Property crimes decreased by three per cent overall in 2020. The number of business break and enters fell by 58 per cent, while residental break and enters fell by 38 per cent. Auto thefts showed a decrease of 21 per cent.
Two categories of property crimes showed noticeable increases in 2020. The number of bicycle thefts increased by 73 per cent, rising from 15 in 2019 to 26 in 2020. The number of frauds increased by 27 per cent, from 52 in 2019 to 66 in 2020.
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