RCMP say Facebook group not the way to fight crime

Kelowna RCMP are worried online comments could spill into real world action after a quasi-vigilante group popped up online.

Called ‘Take Back Kelowna,’ the Facebook group bills itself as “merely a group of concerned citizens working with other local groups to help report stolen items and crimes in progress.”

“RCMP have their hands tied, and resources are very slim,” the description reads. “As a property owner who has had things stolen, and trespassers on my property almost every few weeks, I think it's time us citizens band together and start to work out a plan to help Kelowna maintain its beauty.”

Posts from the nearly 400-member strong community mainly consist of photos of stray or recently stolen bikes, and urban encampments. People advise each other of recent crimes and post CCTV footage.

In Penticton, a similar online group called, ‘Clean Streets Penticton,’ has garnered media attention and discouragement from local authorities. Its members have banded together and hit the streets, confronting people about stolen items.

And while sympathetic to people’s frustration, Cst. Mike Della-Paolera said Kelowna officers do not what that to happen here.

“They want to get involved in the community and go out and patrol and confront people they are concerned about,” he said in an interview with Kelowna10. “They are not doing anything wrong as far as saying that; we just want to make sure everybody is safe, and nobody puts themselves in any position that they are not going to be able to get out of without any legal or physical jeopardy.”

Della-Paolera said underhoused people living on the street tend to have complex mental health and addiction concerns and can be unpredictable in their reactions when approached, creating dangerous situations. He said the best thing to do is to call the police and allow them to deal with it. Working together with the public is the preferred course of action, he said.

The RCMP, Della-Paolera maintains, is making inroads, highlighting a pair of recent high-profile arrests.

The first came on May 29, with the arrest of 31-year-old alleged prolific offender, Daniel Wiest. He faces 18 break and enter related charges that took place over the course of two months. On June 30, officers arrested another prolific offender, Bryce Williamson, hit him with over 50 charges, and recovered about $80,000 worth of stolen property.

Both remain in jail and are awaiting court dates.

However, Della-Paolera said police operate within the realm of the legal system. While property crime may drop off as the two so-called prolific offenders sit in jail, they may be let back out on the streets as they wait to get in front of a judge.

“That’s the system we have, and we have to work with it,” he said. “We have been working very hard to make the arrests that are needed and do the investigation, but it’s frustrating for us, too.”

People who do want to help are encouraged to partake in Kelowna’s Block Connector program or join Crime Stoppers, he said.

Group leaders respond

After a media release urging caution was released from the Kelowna RCMP, one administrator accused the police and media of painting the group's efforts in a negative light.

While James Wellington admits he did want to model the Kelowna group after the Penticton one, "realized how much risk and liability that would be if anybody ended up getting hurt."

"This group is based off of added surveillance, taking photos, and reporting crime. I am hoping the use of the 'Lightcatch' app would assist us in reporting things locally as they happen," he wrote. "As far as "Patrols", they may still potentially happen down the road, but for reporting purposes only. In any case, it is what it is and all we have to do is look forward."