RCMP promise increased patrols in downtown

Jan 13, 2026 | 4:21 PM

Kelowna RCMP, again, have promised to step up patrols in the downtown during daylight and evening hours but won’t disclose how precisely, or how many.

Superintendent Chris Gable suggested that would be giving intel to the bad guys.

Police hosted a media conference Tuesday, in response to a recent surge in social disorder incidents, even as break and enters are statistically down.

He acknowledged the safety concerns of businesses and the public “are real,” even if reported stats have declined.

Meanwhile, the city’s Community Safety Director said “there is no cause and effect” from the reduction in size of the so-called ‘tent city’ for homeless people recently.

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Asked if those displaced from the site were causing crime or social disorder, Darren Caul said “new faces” are coming to town and causing issues, some from the Prairies.

He said the new Crisis Response Mobile Unit will go a long way to reducing police response to non-criminal calls, freeing them up to deal with crime. Caul said 60 to 80 per cent of police calls are for non-criminal issues such as addiction or mental health challenges.

by Vernon Matters Staff

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