Macklin McCall and Dan Albas: This is how to keep people safe in West Kelowna and Peachland

This opinion article was submitted by MLA Macklin McCall and MP Dan Albas.

West Kelowna needs fair, effective policing before the gap widens

West Kelowna and Peachland are growing fast, and we all have experienced the pressures that rapid population growth brings. When members of our community express a desire to see a greater police presence, or their worries of response times under pressure, those concerns are real. These are challenges we can overcome, but only if the province provides the policing resources we need.

In fast-growing communities like ours, pressures on police don’t just show up as crime statistics. They show up as less time for visible patrols, traffic enforcement, school and youth outreach, or preventative work that stops crime before it happens. When proactive policing gets squeezed, we all feel it. Whether it’s a small business dealing with repeat theft, families worried about road safety, or seniors who want to feel secure in their neighbourhoods.

Policing works best when it’s properly resourced, clearly organized, and accountable to the communities it serves. Right now, we are being asked to accept gaps that are neither fair nor sustainable. West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, Peachland, and the rural communities surrounding us deserve proper coverage, yet chronic underfunding and structural changes are creating real challenges that must be addressed.

We have been meeting with local officials and raising this directly with the Minister and the Ministry because this staffing gap is not new, and it should not be ignored. The RCMP has already identified what’s needed. Now the Province needs to act.

Policing in our region is a mix of municipal and provincial responsibility. Municipalities fund their local policing obligations and the Province is responsible for policing in rural areas, on major corridors, and in other non-municipal jurisdictions. When there’s a coverage gap in one area, the impacts spill into neighbouring communities quickly.

Local governments have repeatedly raised concerns that provincial policing resources have not kept pace with demographic growth or increasing service demands. The RCMP have recommended to the Province that seven additional provincial police officers and two civilian support staff are needed to meet essential service levels on the Westside. This shortfall represents more than 10 percent of the officers required to deliver adequate and effective policing in the region.

In November, senior staff from West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation, and Peachland met with senior RCMP leadership and representatives from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to discuss the impacts of ongoing organizational changes and the urgent need for additional provincial resources. The Province committed then to look into the issue, but have not yet provided a response.While municipal governments continue to fully fund their obligations for policing, provincial under-resourcing means rural residents, First Nations communities, and Westside commuters are left without adequate coverage.

We can also view this as an issue of fairness as the consequences of provincial underfunding don’t stay neatly on the provincial side. The result is that our entire region ends up relying on already-stretched municipal capacity, and residents in rural and non-municipal areas are left with less coverage than they deserve. Public safety should not depend on which side of the line a call happens to come from. We can fix this, and it starts with three clear commitments from the Province:

• First, respond to the RCMP staffing request and fund the seven additional provincial officers and two civilian support staff needed, with a public timeline to fill those positions.

• Second, guarantee no net loss of coordinated coverage as ongoing organizational changes move forward.

• Third, report transparently on vacancies, deployment levels, and key service indicators such as response times and unfilled shifts, so communities can see progress and hold decision-makers accountable.

Our community deserves policing that keeps pace with growth, supports strong partnerships across jurisdictions, and ensures we are not left behind. It’s time for the province to step up to the plate and uphold their end of the deal.