The RCMP presented their quarterly report to Kelowna city council yesterday.
Since 2017, property offences have increased by 10 per cent, with almost 9,300 offences in 2018.
Superintendent Brent Mundle, suggested drug abuse could be fuelling property crime.
“We certainly saw an increase between 2015 and 2016. I think that probably corresponds with the announcement of the opioid crisis here in the province. Then we’ve slowly moved upward to the point where approximately last year we had 55,000 calls for service,” said Mundle.
Last year, 172 charges were laid against 95 individuals, primarily from the sale of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.
According to the report, bike theft one of the leading property crimes in Kelowna.
Approximately 30 to 40 per cent of calls for service fall under priority three or four, which means lower priority.
Many of these calls include stolen bikes,where there is no video evidence.
Project 529 is a program that encourages people to license their bikes.
“We often recover property that we believe is stolen from individuals in the community and we’re often left in a situation where we can’t take action because we can’t prove if the items were stolen,” said Mundle.
Registering your bike will help officers determine who the true owner is and possibly aid in criminal charges.