File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Two and Out

PETERS: No positive spin on Kamloops crime statistics

Aug 16, 2024 | 12:30 PM

STATISTICS CANADA RELEASED its 2023 crime stats last month and they were not flattering for our fair city.

As much as political or law enforcement leaders may want to spin the numbers, it’s hard to see them as anything but disastrous.

Of all census metropolitan areas, Kamloops had the worst crime rate and worst Crime Severity Index in all of Canada.

And while our crime rate was actually down by two per cent from 2022, and our rate of violent crime was also down slightly, our Crime Severity Index was up by 10 per cent.

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If you’re wondering what Crime Severity Index is, it’s a weighting of different crime categories based on sentence lengths for convicted criminals. The average is always 100. In 2023, Kamloops was at 165.

Being Number 1 on this list is a dubious distinction and one that will last a long time — even if we manage to knock ourselves down the list in the years to come.

It will take a number of different actions to address this.

First, our legislators and judges will need to toughen up sentences and bail provisions on repeat offenders.

That won’t just help Kamloops, though. It will help all communities in B.C.

Second, our province will need to provide the proper health resources to get people who suffer from substance use disorder well again.

If people are not self-medicating or feeding addictions, they will not need to commit the crimes of desperation to get money, nor will they support the drug suppliers who bring the penchant for violent crime everywhere they go.

And third, us regular, non-criminal folks have a role to play, too, in taking away opportunities to become victims.

The more we remove temptation from our vehicles and make our properties more safe and secure, the less attractive our properties will be for those who would break it or take it.

No one in Kamloops wants to see us at the top of the country’s crime list. All of us should commit to doing what it takes to move us down the list.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.