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Police-reported crime grew for the third straight year in Penticton, according to new data released Monday by Stats Canada.

The annual crime severity index (CSI) measures the the volume and severity of individual offences, placing more weight serious crimes.

The Penticton municipal CSI inched up 2.7 per cent to 145.92 in 2016. The city’s CSI has jumped just under 35 per cent since 2013 and is at its highest since 2007. It peaked at 212.05 in 2003.

The increase is mainly due to an increase in property crime, with the violent crime severity index actually dropping 17 per cent last year to 87.92.

That trend is likely to continue into 2017, with the local detachment reporting earlier this year a significant bump in property crime in the first three months of 2017. The new detachment commander for the South Okanagan, Supt. Ted De Jager, presented his plan to combat the rise at a town hall on July 12.

The City of Penticton has the highest CSI in the South Okanagan, and is second to only Vernon in the entire Okanagan. Across BC, the CSI fell 0.71 per cent to 93.63.

Other nearby communities, along with their increase/decrease over last year, are listed below for comparison.

• Vernon 156.99 (up 18.68 per cent)
• Princeton 123.39 (down 7.57 per cent)
• Kelowna 115.60 (up 1.64 per cent)
• Osoyoos 109 (down 4.18 per cent)
• Oliver 94.13 (down 21.8 per cent)
• Lake Country 63.73 (up 5.18 per cent)
• Summerland 63.33 (up 1.62 per cent)
• West Kelowna 61.95 (down 15.05 per cent)
• Peachland 49.78 (up 22.82 per cent)
• Salmon Arm 47.58 (down 9.15 per cent)