Kelowna police crack down on property offenders

Photo: Nicholas Johansen

Police executed several warrants in recent weeks, including this one was March 5 in Glenmore.

Kelowna Mounties say they are carrying on with the "relentless pursuit" of criminals and offered some recent examples of work done.

In a Wednesday media release, Kelowna RCMP highlighted their efforts to crack down on multi-jurisdictional offenders, several of which were allegedly behind everything from break-ins to violent offences.

“These investigations and their respective seizures demonstrate our relentless pursuit of property crime offenders,” Cpl. Guillaume Tanguay of Proactive Enforcement Unit said.

"These crimes plague the community, causing thousands of dollars of loss each year”.

The first example dates back to Feb. 13, where a search warrant was carried out at a residence in the 2000-block of Horizon Drive in West Kelowna.

This search warrant stems from multiple business break and enters in Kelowna and West Kelowna. Police recovered stolen property from several of the business break-ins as well as a stolen vehicle, fake license plates, and a loaded shotgun, RCMP said.

A 44-year-old man was arrested and later released at scene, scheduled to appear in court on May 19.

The next was from Feb. 21, when a search warrant was executed on a storage locker in West Kelowna.

"This search stems from intelligence linked to another investigation in the Kelowna area," RCMP said.

"Officers located and seized two stolen motorcycles from thefts dated as far back as 2020 and 2024. This investigation remains ongoing."

Then, on March 5, a search warrant in the 600-block of Clifton Road was executed at a home where criminal activity was previously reported. This incident temporarily closed the road to motorists.

"A search warrant was obtained and officers entered the property with the assistance of the Southeast District Emergency Response Team and Police Dog Services," RCMP said.

"A 36-year-old man was located and taken into custody on outstanding warrants related to violent offences in Kelowna and has since remained in custody. During search of the residence, officers located and seized three firearms."

This investigation is ongoing, police said.

In a report that went to Kelowna council earlier this week, local politicians were told that between 2022 and last year, total property offences dropped 17 per cent, auto theft was down 35 per cent, business break-ins were down 55 per cent, and reported bike theft was down 49 per cent.

Reductions were attributed to an increase in police staffing levels, as well as special enforcement measures such as targeting high-crime locations and focusing on catching repeat offenders.