Thefts from Kelowna cars up 50 per cent in 2016

Thefts of valuables from cars and thefts of bicycles are two major areas driving crime statistics in Kelowna.

Community Policing Coordinator Colleen Cornock told Council July 25 that the two areas are a major concern for the Kelowna RCMP’s Crime Prevention Unit.

Cornock said the number of thefts from cars in 2016 is particularly startling, with 50 per cent more incidents reported this year than during the same time period in 2015.

Those thefts, she said, are “really driving the [crime] stats here in Kelowna.”

She said many of the people calling in the thefts are aged 25-35, which is why the RCMP has restarted the Don’t Be An Easy Target Campaign, which uses social media to connect with Kelowna residents to “change behavior” around leaving valuables in cars.

Crime has been a hot topic in Kelowna since Statistics Canada released data last week showing that the Kelowna municipal crime rate is the second highest in the country.

At Council’s July 25 meeting, Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran expressed concern that many people seem to be leaving their cars unlocked, inviting petty crime.

“The fact that some people are leaving their cars unlocked, and that contributes to our crime statistics” is troubling, he said.

Basran admitted that local government “certainly plays its part” with regards to the city’s crime statistics, but that keeping crime numbers down “starts right at home.”

“We all play our part,” he said.