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Global News
21-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Kelowna to study potential switch from RCMP to municipal policing
The City of Kelowna, B.C., is hiring a consultant to review the pros and cons of transitioning from the RCMP to a municipal police force. 'As Kelowna continues to grow rapidly, and with the RCMP policing contract for municipalities set to expire in 2032, this review is a responsible step to ensure we are delivering the best value to taxpayers and planning effectively for the future needs of our city,' said Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas. The city has allocated $250,000 for a Police Services Model review that will begin this summer. 'Crime and safety remain top priorities for this council,' Dyas said. 'We continue to have full confidence in, and deep respect for, the dedicated members of the RCMP who serve our community.' The city's policing costs have grown substantially in the last decade with the budget more than doubling to $57 million for 2025. Story continues below advertisement Kelowna RCMP would not comment on the study and potential switch to a municipal police force. Kelowna residents Global News spoke to seemed open to at least exploring the idea. 'I know people are concerned about community safety, so I suspect the city wants to do the best it can to figure out the best way to provide that,' said resident Debbie Hubbard. 'I just think hiring a consultant, doing a good analysis is a good idea.' 'I think all ideas are usually worth exploring,' said Nolan Gamble. 'Even if it doesn't go through, hopefully we will find the best solution for us specifically. But yeah, can't hurt looking into it at least.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Crime has been at the forefront for many Kelowna residents and business owners for years. While past reports have shown crime increasing in the Central Okanagan city, Kelowna RCMP have recently reported the overall crime rating in 2024 dropped compared to 2023. 1:57 Property crime rate dropping in Kelowna In March, the force presented its annual statistics to city council, which showed property crime went down by two per cent with the crime severity index dropping by seven per cent. Story continues below advertisement According to the RCMP report, the decrease in property crime is attributed to fewer break and enters and bike thefts. Police stated business break-ins were down by 55 per cent in 2024 compared to the year before. However, organizations that represent local businesses reported a bit of a different story. 'The anecdotal reports from members haven't varied much in the past two years,' stated the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce in an email to Global News. The Downtown Kelowna Association (DKA) said that it has seen somewhat of an improvement but added that businesses continue being plagued by vandalism, such as graffiti and smashed windows, shoplifting and break-ins. 'There's been an issue the whole time I have been sitting in this chair,' said DKA executive director Mark Burley, who has been in his role for ten years. 'It's not overly prevalent but it's happening almost daily.' Michael Neill owns Mosaic Books and said crime is so frequent, he has started keeping a log of repeat offenders and the crime incidents. 'It's an ongoing issue,' Neill said. 'We have broken windows that keep being replaced, very expensive. We had a fire at the back in February that cost us a few thousand bucks to straighten out.' Story continues below advertisement If Kelowna did decide to switch to municipal policing, it would follow in the path of the City of Surrey, where the controversial process dragged on for years before it was finalized last year. 'There's benefits and there's going to be also detriments to that happening and that is why a study needs to be done,' Burley said. According to the city, the study should be completed early 2026.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
False alarm at Springfield school causes hard lockdown
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A false safety alarm led to a brief hard lockdown at a Springfield middle school Tuesday afternoon. In an email sent out to families of Washington Middle School, Springfield Public Schools PIO Rachel Dyas said that at 12:44 p.m., one of the school's Centegix badge systems was activated. This triggered a hard lockdown at the school for a short time. No one hurt after van hits Springfield fire station Washington administration immediately responded to the classroom to ensure everyone's safety, and it was found that there was never a real emergency. A badge that was not being worn was unintentionally activated while inside a bag. The staff was then notified over the intercom in under one minute that there was an all clear. 'The Centegix system is an important safety tool designed to quickly alert staff and emergency responders,' Dyas said. 'Today's activation involved multiple presses, which automatically triggered a full lockdown and notified 911.' She also said that for smaller incidents, a three-button alert should be used to communicate with the office. Within a three-minute timeframe, the school's administration was able to call 911 and notify law enforcement to inform them that there was no situation that required their assistance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
