The BC Conservatives have called on the government to take action following a report that highlighted the impact repeat offenders are having on communities across British Columbia.Kelowna Mission MLA and Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation Critic Gavin Dew said it was high time the revolving door of justice was closed to keep career criminals off the streets for good."Kelowna’s new Chronic Offenders report confirms what communities across BC already know," Dew said. "A small number of repeat offenders are driving a disproportionate amount of crime while cycling endlessly through a broken justice system." The report, Chronic Offenders: Closing the Revolving Door, found that over the past decade, the rate of handing down criminal charges declined 48% in Kelowna, 43% in BC, and 11% across Canada. BC's charge rate per capita has consistently ranked the lowest in the country..According to Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas, 15 chronic offenders in the city were responsible for 1,350 police files in 2024, a trend that has been seen across the province."The small group responsible for a disproportionate amount of property crime, including shoplifting, break-ins, vandalism and threatening behaviour are among the cohort of those who also resort to violence on our streets," the report stated. "These perpetrators are not specialist criminals. Their crimes are unplanned crimes of opportunity as they are often pitiable individuals funding their addictions, sometimes just surviving, and ignorant of the damage they are inflicting on others."Dew said he agreed with the report's call for "more Crown prosecutors, streamlined charge approval, and dedicated chronic offender units to finally close the revolving door and restore public safety." "We need to support law enforcement and the justice system — and that means setting it up for success," he declared. "We also need to address upstream issues of mental health, addiction, and homelessness, including through mandatory secure care.".Due to a high level of spam content being posted in our comment section below, all comments undergo manual approval by a staff member during regular business hours (Monday - Friday). Your patience is appreciated.
