Community Programs

Penticton RCMP units and initiatives include:

• Community Active Support Table (CAST)
• Community Support and Enforcement Team (CSET)
  • Traffic Services
  • Mental Health Intervention Coordinator
  • Aboriginal Policing Team
• Street Enforcement Unit (SEU) – Drug investigation and enforcement unit
• Targeted Enforcement Unit (TEU) – Prolific offender enforcement
• General Investigative Section (GIS) – Plainclothes major crimes investigations

We aim to:

• Strengthen the safety and security of our community
• Provide awareness of crime and crime prevention opportunities
• Facilitate community problem solving
• Build relationships inclusive of all cultures within our community
• Develop partnerships within local government, education, business, health and Aboriginal communities
• Promote lifestyles and life choices that support health and wellness

The Community Policing Unit is always looking for committed volunteers to contribute to our programs. If you have as little as five hours a month of free time and would like to help make your community a safer and more pleasant place to live, one of these positions could be for you.

This dedicated group of RCMP volunteers contribute to community safety by observing and reporting suspicious or criminal activity.

They participate in patrols throughout Penticton and neighbouring areas to provide an additional presence to deter crime and extra “eyes and ears.” The volunteers serve to complement the local RCMP and assist the police as requested.

Our members have completed Level One of CPTED and are available to complete assessments for residents or businesses.

The assessment will walk through recommendations for property owners to deter crime by reducing opportunities for crime, a process known as target hardening. Find out more about this process on the City's See Something Say Something page.

For more information, or to inquire about an assessment, call 250-490-2374.

South Okanagan Crime Stoppers makes it possible for people to leave an anonymous tip about a crime, suspicious activity or person. The community program, run by volunteers, partners with police and media to assist in the reduction of crime.

Tips can be provided by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), sending a text message to 274637 with the message SOSTIPS, or online. If a tip leads to an arrest charges, the recovery of stolen property or illegal drugs, the individual submitting the tip may qualify for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

The Lock Out Auto Crime volunteers aim to reduce auto crime by educating the public on how it can be prevented. By distributing Crime Prevention Notices on the windshields of vehicles and interacting with the public, the volunteers work to provide education on making a vehicle a less desirable target for criminals.

This program provides an opportunity for community healing while addressing a criminal act. It puts the emphasis on the harm caused to both individuals and communities by recognizing that crime is both a violation of relationships between specific people and an offence against everyone – the community.

Restorative Justice requires wrongdoers to recognize the harm that they have caused, to accept responsibility for their actions and to be actively involved in improving the situation. The Restorative Justice process is guided by volunteer facilitators. For more information, call 250-770-5688.

Speed Watch is an educational program aimed at reducing incidents of speeding throughout Penticton and the neighbouring areas. The program is conducted in partnership with ICBC, the RCMP and a group of volunteers.

Using portable radar equipment and an electronic digital board, volunteers monitor speeds in neighbourhoods. The program raises public awareness of the speeds drivers are travelling by giving them an instant readout on the screen as they pass by. Drivers observed exceeding the speed may be subject to further police follow-up.

Victim Services is an extension of police services that provides emotional support and practical assistance to people who have been affected by crime or trauma.

Staff and volunteers of victim services usually provide support at the RCMP detachment or the courthouse but may also provide support at crime scenes, hospitals, residences or places of business at the request of the police. Victim services also provides court information and support to victims and witnesses of crime. For more information, call 250-770-4713.

If you would like to request an on-site security assessment of your property, strata property, neighbourhood, underground parkade or business, contact the Penticton Community Policing Office at 250-492-4300.

You can also download either of the forms below (for a residential property or business) to conduct a self-assessment. Please read the full details and further tips on the See Something Say Something page.

RCMP Residential Security Self-Assessment Form

RCMP Business Security Self-Assessment Form

Community Policing Unit
1168 Main Street, Penticton , BC V2A5E8
Phone: 250-492-4300

General hours of operation: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with daily closures from 12 – 1 p.m. and occasionally when staff are attending engagements in the community.