Kelowna crime severity declines, but safety concerns remain
RCMP on the scene of a standoff in Rutland, 2025. (Image Credit: File photo/Vernon Matters Staff)
Crime severity in the Kelowna area declined in 2025, according to new Statistics Canada data, but many residents say they still have concerns about public safety.
The Kelowna Census Metropolitan Area, which includes Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country and Peachland, ranked ninth highest among Canada’s 41 metropolitan areas on the Crime Severity Index — an improvement from fifth place the year before.
The index, which measures both the volume and seriousness of police-reported crime, dropped four per cent to 103.7 last year. Police-reported Criminal Code incidents also declined two per cent, with 8,688 cases recorded.
Despite the drop, a City of Kelowna survey found public confidence has not kept pace. Seventy-four per cent of residents said they feel somewhat or very safe in their community, down from 90 per cent in 2017.
The survey found one in four residents feel unsafe, with mentions of crime and public safety more than doubling compared with two years ago.
Nationally, Statistics Canada says crime severity fell for the second straight year in 2025, after reaching a peak in 2023.
