Community Policing Office reopens in Rutland

Kelowna’s mayor says the reopening of the Rutland Community Policing Office (CPO) “just makes sense.”

Colin Basran said it’s more than a return to normal for the office at 115 McIntosh Road.

“It marks a significant expansion to the level of service provided there. We heard from Rutland community members that there was demand and value for this kind of expansion, and we have responded accordingly,” said Basran. “It just makes sense in Rutland. It’s a large, densely populated town centre and the office was already used extensively.”

The CPO reopened today with new services. Residents can now report non-emergency police matters at the office, including stolen and found property, and suspicious or illegal activity. They can also complete criminal record checks.

City Council approved necessary resources for a full-time, civilian employee position at the office in response to the RCMP’s request as part of the 2021 budget process. This Information clerk will be onsite at the Rutland CPO from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, working alongside a Community Policing Coordinator who will continue to serve as a liaison between the community of Rutland and the RCMP.

The Rutland CPO was previously staffed by the Community Policing Coordinator and RCMP volunteers whose activities were limited to providing information resources, like brochures. The CPO has closed to the public since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited to be able to reopen the doors of the Rutland Community Policing Office with even greater access to services,” said Supt. Kara Triance of the Regional Kelowna RCMP. “Rutland is a vibrant part of our community, and we are always working to improve the policing service we provide to our residents and businesses.”

The new Information Clerk position expands police service to the Rutland town centre and to nearby Black Mountain, Springvalley, UBC-Okanagan and Orchard Park. This contributes to a model in line with the City’s goal of creating compact, complete communities to serve the needs of local residents and businesses.

For more information on community safety in Kelowna, visit kelowna.ca/safety.