A single individual is believed to have been responsible for as much as half of all stolen F-350 trucks in the South Okanagan, Penticton city council heard on Feb. 11 as part of their quarterly RCMP update.
Cracking down on prolific offenders was a key focus for 2024, Penticton RCMP Supt. Beth McAndie told councillors, with multiple arrests, particularly in the last quarter of the year from October to December.
Auto thefts remained an issue, with trucks and F-350s in particular being targeted and making up 20 percent of all stolen vehicles and attempted thefts in the region.
A press release from the Oliver RCMP on Nov. 19 stated that two people were arrested and three vehicles, including two F-350s, were recovered.
A prolific offender from the Lower Mainland was also arrested in December and is currently facing 10 property-crime-related charges, with officers investigating five further possible crimes.
RCMP issued a warning to the community following a spate of break-ins of apartment complex public and parking areas in December. McAndie informed council on Feb. 11 that the crime reduction unit and front-line officers were able to identify and charge two people they believe responsible for many of the incidents.
"One individual remains in custody while the other subject has strict court-imposed conditions that are currently monitored by officers and community partner agencies," said McAndie.
Separately, it was also noted that almost a third of residential break-ins in the third quarter didn't see anything stolen from the property, but instead used by the individuals as shelter.
Lastly, after years of effort and reinforcing of staff levels at the detachment with additional officers, Penticton has also seen its caseload-per-officer ranking drop down out of the top spot in B.C.
Penticton is only at number two in the province with 131 criminal code files per officer compared to the provincial average per police officer of 76, and Penticton's past high in 2019 of over 170 per officer.
The five-year average on crime statistics is also promising, with Penticton's 2024 numbers below the average for most categories of property crime.
Non-residential or business break-and-enters, thefts, and shoplifting in 2024 were all slightly above the five-year average, with 86 compared to 80, 438 compared to 419, and 484 compared to 431, respectively.
Violent crime, however, has seen an upward swing, with every category in 2024 up over the five-year average.
Assaults were at 493 in 2024 compared to the five-year average of 448; sexual offences were up at 174 compared to 144; the number of uttering threats files was up at 286 compared to 242, and intimate partner violence was up at 168 compared to 157.
The number of sexual offences was down significantly compared to 2023's numbers, however, which was the highest since 2019 with 239 files.
The South Okanagan has nine repeat violent offenders who have met the threshold for the designation under the regional prolific offender program, with five specifically residing in Penticton and currently in custody.
