Downtown crime is a major issue for residents and small businesses with a small amount of people responsible for a disproportionate amount of repeat offences. (Image Credit: Facebook)

By Vernon Matters staff

repeat offenders

Province’s plan for chronic property crime

Jun 22, 2026 | 6:00 PM

The Province is putting $16 million over two years towards what they’re calling the Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative.

Twelve new regional hubs will expand supervision of repeat offending to more communities, helping to reduce street disorder and crimes targeting local businesses.

This will include Kelowna and Penticton.

The program focuses on the small number of people who are typically responsible for a disproportionate amount of property crime and who have complex needs related to housing instability, mental health and substance use.

Interventions through compassion and accountability for chronic offending can include enhanced supervision and monitoring, stronger collaboration with Crown counsel, connection to housing, mental-health and addiction supports

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“Retail theft and street disorder undermine public safety and place added pressure on local businesses,” Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General said, in part, in a media release Monday. “The Province is targeting chronic property offending that threatens the livelihood of small businesses, which are the backbone of our communities. We’re building on progress we’ve made, dedicating more resources and working with partners to strengthen enforcement and keep communities vibrant and safe.”

Small-scale pilots of the Chronic Property Offending Intervention Initiative have been underway in Kelowna, Nanaimo and Nelson since November 2025. While limited in scope, police in Kelowna have credited the program with helping stabilize property crime trends, including a decline in break-and-enter offences. Additionally, the program is praised for enabling a more targeted and coordinated approach to reducing reoffending and enhancing overall public safety in Kelowna. Building on this success, the initiative is launching provincewide.

The program is modelled after the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative, which has reduced offending, increased charge approvals for high-risk violent offenders and strengthened justice-system responses for people in that program. The new initiative takes the same approach to property crime by providing targeted enforcement, enhanced monitoring and release planning, income assistance where eligible, and timely interventions for people involved in repeat property-related offending.

by Vernon Matters staff

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