'That impact is real': Police, city respond to social disorder in Kelowna

Social disorder impact 'real'

UPDATED 1:40 p.m.

There's been an influx of new faces on Kelowna streets, many arriving from the Prairies, officials said Tuesday at a press conference addressing a recent spike in social disorder.

“Our partners are indicating, and can demonstrate, that these are largely new individuals in our downtown,” community safety manager Darren Caul said, when asked if tightened restrictions at the tent city may have contributed to the rise in crimes in Kelowna's downtown.

“One of our strategies is ensuring that those new individuals are aware of the supports, resources and expectations in our city.”

He noted that some newcomers to the homeless population are lifelong Kelowna residents who have fallen into poverty due to economic conditions.

“It’s tragic,” he said.

“And yes, there are individuals coming to Kelowna from other cities, particularly from the Prairies—more so of late.”

Caul emphasized that Kelowna is not facing challenges unique from other B.C. communities, many of which are dealing with growing numbers of unhoused people experiencing mental health and substance-use issues.

“These are provincial responsibilities,” he said.

He also said that the city is focusing on getting people off the streets.

“We have the opportunity, through our work with BC Housing, to track the movement of individuals affected by changes to how our outdoor sheltering site operates,” Caul said.

“What we found is that more than 60 people have moved through the redesigned site into various levels of supportive housing. That flow within the housing system is absolutely essential.”

Business owners had said in recent weeks that the people they were seeing daily were no longer the familiar faces they once knew. They too had noticed new people in the area, and had linked them to some of the issues they were dealing with.

Police, meanwhile, say they are stepping up enforcement in response to a tsunami of complaints about escalating disorder.

“We recognize that social disorder—whether it’s public nuisance issues, visible street-level crime or ongoing disorder—has a real and direct impact on how safe people feel in their community,” said Supt. Chris Goebel.

“That impact is real, and it matters.”

Goebel said that while break-and-enters are down, incidents of social disorder are increasing. Social disorder includes unwanted person calls, mischief, Mental Health Act concerns, thefts, open drug use and broken windows.

“We are actively monitoring these trends. We’re identifying repeat offenders, and we’re deploying targeted enforcement strategies where they will have the greatest impact,” he said.

In response to reports that some business owners have grown discouraged from calling police because officers do not always attend, Goebel urged continued reporting.

“This is why reporting incidents to police is so important,” he said.

“Some of our strategies include proactive, intelligence-led patrols—on foot and in vehicles—in the highest-impact areas, using both uniformed and plainclothes officers.”

Goebel said many downtown issues are addiction-driven and stressed that police are only part of the solution, calling for greater involvement from provincial and federal governments.

“There has to be equal measures—not only harm reduction—but also enforcement, prevention and treatment,” he said.

“That’s where there’s a significant gap right now. There are insufficient treatment options available. If we’re seeing homeless individuals suffering from addiction who are committing crimes or contributing to social disorder, they need help and support. If that support isn’t available, where are they supposed to go?”

Goebel said both voluntary and involuntary treatment options are needed.

---

ORIGINAL 12:54 p.m.

Downtown Kelowna business owners have been sounding the alarm for weeks over escalating unruly and potentially damaging behaviour, and police are now speaking out.

RCMP Supt. Chris Goebel and City of Kelowna Community Safety Director Darren Caul will address concerns around social disorder affecting local businesses at a scheduled media event at 1 p.m.

The meeting is closed to the public but it's expected that some information about recently stepped up patrols will be offered.

More to come.