WATCH: One man, 346 police files; the enormity of repeat offenders

• 200 offenders are behind 11,000 police files across B.C.'s urban centres
• In Kelowna, one offender has had 346 police interactions and 29 convictions

The mayor of Kelowna is welcoming a provincial government study of chronic crime by a relatively small number of repeat offenders as a way to address what he calls "the catch and release cycle of the justice system."

Colin Basran was speaking after Thursday’s announcement in Victoria that two experts have been hired to conduct a multi-stakeholder investigation into the prolific repeat offenders and random attacks causing havoc in B.C’s urban municipal downtowns, including Kelowna.

The experts, with a background in on-the-street policing and mental health issues, have 120 days to report back on solutions to address the criminal activity that Attorney General David Eby said has caused "an outsized level of chaos."

Basran said, for years, such street crime has been tackled strictly through enforcement and that needs to change.

“We need to come up with a system that not only provides consequences for their poor behaviour and their criminal activity, but also, we need to be mindful of the fact that they need help in many cases,” Basran told Kelowna10.

“One of the things I’m really encouraged about, is the provincial government is now talking about perhaps mandating treatment because right now, treatment for individuals with mental health and addiction issues is strictly voluntary.”

Last month, Basran and his fellow B.C. urban mayors called for action from the government regarding the upswing in criminal behavior, vandalism and violence.

Prison not the answer

While the crimes are being committed by a relatively small group of repeat offenders, many of whom are struggling with mental health and addictions issues, municipalities have said the problems have created anxiety among the public and hurts the post-COVID recovery efforts of downtown retailers.

As for what the experts are expected to learn or recommend, Eby said potential solutions could include exploring the effectiveness of real-time electronic monitoring of chronic offenders, and the use of compulsory programs to, as he put it, "interrupt the cycle of offending or escalation of offending."

But he said locking people up was not the solution, given the federal laws and courts imposition of limits on how to deal with individuals struggling with mental health.

While Basran said the expert investigation and report in the coming 120 days would help lead to meaningful change, he explained more money for justice resources could make an immediate impact. One of the problems identified by local RCMP is the increase in time it’s taking for prosecutors and the court system to look at files and approve charges.

“It would appear to me that our justice system certainly is understaffed and under resourced. I think from a high level, that would be one area where I think we could see immediate steps taken.”

The stats behind repeat offenders

The BC Urban Mayors' Caucus have highlighted some alarming statistics related to repeat offenders.

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said some 200 people were responsible for over 11,000 police calls across urban municipalities.

In Kelowna, RCMP identified 15 people who had 1,039 negative contacts with police in the first 11 months of last year.

One particular offender in Kelowna has, since 2016, generated 346 RCMP files and received 29 convictions for property crime and assault offences. The person is banned from entering 11 businesses yet is known to be routinely released with conditions and continues to re-offend.

The Kelowna RCMP contract budget has increased 84 per cent from $27.9 million in 2016, to an estimated $51.4 million in 2022. These costs are fully funded through taxation to residents.