Police in Vernon saw crime involving the homeless population dip by nearly a third in 2022.
According to the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP’s fourth quarter policing report for 2022, Vernon saw a total of 758 Street Entrenched Policing Target Analysis (SEPTA) files last year.
Compared to the 1,081 files in 2021, that amounts to a 30 per cent decrease in street entrenched files.
Calls for service in Vernon also dipped slightly last year, from 20,958 in 2021 to 19,590 in 2022, a 6.5 per cent decrease.
Crime levels stayed roughly the same, with 5,854 criminal code files in 2022 compared to 5,875 in 2021.
Property offences were down 4.2 per cent, with 3,398 last year compared to 3,550 the year previous.
Vernon and Coldstream saw an increase in the number of charges forwarded to Crown counsel, with 2,050 files in 2022 compared to 1,816 in 2021 — a 13 per cent increase.
In the fourth quarter of last year, police activity in Vernon included the discovery of illicit drugs while officers conducted a vehicle stop in October. Two men were arrested and charged.
Also in October, police responded to a suspicious incident at an elementary school where a man allegedly grabbed a child by the arm. The child was able to pull away and get home, but the investigation is ongoing.
In November, police investigated the arson of a business on 27th Street The incident remains under investigation.
Another November incident saw a man push a woman aside while she was loading groceries in a parking lot and attempt to steal her vehicle. The man fled when confronted by nearby people. A 51-year-old man was charged with robbery.
In December, the Police Dog Service was tasked with locating a suspect who broke into a business on 48th Avenue. The suspect was not found and the incident remains under investigation.
Days later, police investigated an assault with a weapon where a person was cut with a knife during an altercation. The victim sustained minor injuries and the suspect was arrested.
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