Pubdate: Wed, 19 Oct 2005
Source: Kelowna Capital News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005, West Partners Publishing Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.kelownacapnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1294
Author: Marshall Jones

FIGHTING THE CRIME NUMBERS

Local officials are fighting back at what Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray
calls "an attack on the reputation of Kelowna" as a safe place to live.

Last week, a Canadian business magazine named Kelowna among the top
two cities in terms of crimes per 100,000 people.

But the numbers are awkwardly skewed, don't jive with figures kept by
the Police Services Division of the Solicitor General and rely on a
notoriously difficult statistic to interpret.

What's worse, local media ran with the immediate story without
questioning it.

"Council, city managers and I, we know the biggest threat is to our
reputation as far as being a safe, clean city to live," Gray said.

"We don't have to worry about growth or the economy because Kelowna
sells itself.

"But we do have to protect that coveted reputation because once it's
gone it's very difficult to get back."

Just ask Surrey about reputation-it's below the provincial
average.

Supt. Bill McKinnon, officer in charge of Kelowna detachment, will
call a press conference this week to counter the spin and introduce
some alternate statistics.

A yearly report on crime rates shows Kelowna is 22nd in a list of all
B.C. municipalities for 2004, behind Kamloops, Chilliwack, Langley,
Nanaimo, New Westminster and many others.

McKinnon doesn't contend crime isn't a problem here. In fact, we had
the single highest growth in crime rate in the last two years-up 27
per cent.

But what does that mean?

In 2004, Kelowna detachment added 10 new officers who are generating
more files.

The drug section, property crimes section and downtown enforcement
unit have been very aggressive and generating more files and more
arrests. All that activity would reflect a higher crime rate, not a
lower one.

Kelowna's population is also skewed in that the 45,000 people living
in Westbank and the estimated 50,000 tourists per year can affect
Kelowna's crime base but not its population.

"We are a large city with a crime rate consistent with what you get in
large municipalities. Are we the worst? Not at all," he said.

"I personally feel Kelowna is a very safe community to live in, to
enjoy the parks, to walk down any street.

"When I ask for more officers, it is all about being able to respond
to calls we are getting."

"The crime problem comes down to two main issues: calls for service
and drugs."

McKinnon makes a case that Kelowna is the busiest detachment in B.C.,
although stats don't always show that because many of the files are
not Criminal Code cases.

Homeless people sleeping on streets, traffic accidents and other
complaints don't make it onto the books but still must be addressed,
McKinnon notes.

The rest of the problem is drugs. "Look at auto theft, it has
skyrocketed. So do we have an auto theft problem or is it the result
of something else? In my opinion we don't have an auto theft problem,
we have a drug problem.

"Ninety-five per cent of all stolen vehicles are being recovered. If
that number was lower, then I would be concerned they are being stolen
and sold and chopped up or whatever. When I see 95 per cent are found,
then they are being used for something and it's not joy riding.

"The problem is substance abusers using stolen autos to commit
secondary crimes, robbery, B&Es and thefts and then dump the vehicle."

"So after our intense enforcement in the early summer, I know right
now our stats for July, August and September show a noticeable
decrease in auto theft that makes me believe my analysis of the entire
situation is correct."

The problem is, how to get everyone else to see it that
way.

The RCMP will be looking for more officers and has been supported by
council, many of whom are seeking re-election in November.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin