iN NUMBERS: Kelowna and Kamloops residents frustrated by petty crime

People in Kelowna and Kamloops have a problem with crime, but it turns out the smaller, petty crimes are harder to deal with like loitering and illegal drug use.

Businesses in Kamloops were surveyed by the Downtown Kamloops Business Improvement Association and people in Kelowna were surveyed by the city.  

Crime rates are down in both cities, but people are still frustrated.

Here are some numbers to help quantify how people feel about crime:

• 1.19: Million dollars is the estimated loss for businesses in Kamloops in 2025 that participated in the survey. 
• 116: Reports of loitering and trespassing came from Kamloops businesses in 2025.
• 104: Reports of open drug use came from Kamloops businesses in 2025.
• 80: Per cent of businesses in Kamloops reported changing their security measures like adding cameras and locking doors during business hours.
• 35: Per cent of respondents in Kelowna said that crime has gone up, even though crime statistics have gone down. 
• 21: Per cent of respondents in Kelowna said that drug use was the most important crime-related problem in the city.
• 49: Per cent of respondents in Kelowna said that the crimes were too small to report or it would take too much effort to report them.
• 62: Per cent of respondents in Kelowna had confidence in the police.
• 32: Per cent of respondents in Kelowna said they had confidence in the criminal courts.