PETERS: A long way to go, but crime trends in Kamloops are heading in the right direction

At the same time, city council has heard the latest stats showing what’s happening in the busiest crime corridors around Kamloops.

Those are areas like Tranquille Road, the Valleyview strip, West Victoria and Notre Dame Drive.

Once again, there was slow-but-steady improvement.

Overall calls to the RCMP were down 10 per cent, while calls for Criminal Code offences were down two per cent.

The calls to the city’s Community Services Officers were down even more dramatically – 17 per cent year-over-year.

Because there is no silver bullet that will result in a dramatic, full-scale reduction in criminal activity, we look for long-term trends to tell us whether we are on our way to a safer city.

In these numbers from both the federal government and local government, it appears that is the case.

Statistics tell only part of this story, though.

When painting a picture of criminal activity in Kamloops, statistics outline the shapes while personal stories, experiences and feelings fill in the colour. You don’t have a true picture without either one.

People who live and work in those corridors will tell you the numbers are not enough. They’ll tell you crime – both petty and more serious – is still a major problem.

With the numbers trending in the right direction, though, their experiences and feelings should match the rest of the picture before too long.

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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.

by James Peters

PETERS: A long way to go, but crime trends in Kamloops are heading in the right direction

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