Community Safety Toolkit
Practical steps to protect yourself, your loved ones and your property
Crime and community safety are important issues in every city. We all want to be safe and feel safe in the community where we live, work and play. This Toolkit offers practical steps to reduce your likelihood of becoming a victim of crime. Many of these things are easy to add to your day-to-day life, requiring minimal time, energy or financial investment.
Safe Kelowna
Community safety is a shared responsibility. We all have a role in watching over our community. Keep Kelowna safe by staying aware and knowing who to call when we see criminal or nuisance behaviour.
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Safe neighbourhoods
Beautiful, tight-knit neighbourhoods make safe spaces, naturally. Community safety is more than locks and tall fences – it relies on people looking out for each other. Here are some steps you can take to ensure your block stays vibrant, lovely and safe.
Get to know your neighbours
The people around you are one of your best defenses against crime. Good neighbour relationships boost community safety while fostering a sense of cohesion and community in your area.
The City’s Strong Neighbourhoods initiative has resources and guidance to help you join with your neighbours to build a culture of connection and engagement.
Be a Block Connector
Take the lead in your neigbourhood by joining the Block Connector program. Block Connectors animate their block, host social opportunities and build connections with and among neighbours to tighten the bonds in their community. They make neighbourhoods safe by building community.
Stay connected
Exchange phone numbers, email addresses and other contact details to help you and your neighbours keep in touch. It can help you organize a block party, but it also gives your neighbours an easy way to reach out if they notice anything unusual on your property.
Protect your home
Your home is your castle. It’s where you lay your head each night, where you keep most of your belongings, and it's a great place to enhance safety and security. Property offences account for two-thirds of crime reported in Kelowna and they are almost always acts of opportunity. These simple steps can help protect your home.
Adopt a 9 p.m. routine
Assess your property’s safety as part of your nighttime routine. Lock your doors and windows, move bicycles and other portable items inside, leave an exterior light on, and remove spare keys, garage door openers and valuable items from cars parked outside.
See this news release from the RCMP for more on the 9 p.m. Routine.
Consider a security system
Alarm systems, security cameras, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, doorbell cameras and other technologies can help protect you, your belongings and your home.
Many of these technologies have become cheaper, more accessible and more user-friendly in recent years.
Keep your home safe while you’re away
A security system can help protect your home while you’re out of town, but there are other low- or no-cost tactics to also consider. Have lights set on timers, leave some blinds and drapes open, and have someone check in on your place and collect your mail.
See this list from the Government of Canada for more detail.
Make your address visible from the street
Visible address numbers help first responders find your home in the event of an emergency. This can reduce response times when every second counts.
Stay safe in your apartment or condo
Never let a stranger into your building, and watch for items left in the doorway to prevent exterior doors from closing or locking. Don’t keep valuables in a storage locker outside your suite and double check your doors are locked, even those to your balcony.
Remove your access fob or keys from your car even if you’re parked in a parkade, and inform your landlord or strata manager immediately if they’re lost or stolen. Let the overhead door to your parkade close behind you completely whenever you arrive at or leave your building.
It’s always a good idea to get to know your neighbours but it’s especially important when you share a building.
Consider crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)
CPTED is a multi-disciplinary approach to crime prevention that influences how we use landscape, architecture and the surrounding environment.
Maintenance plays a major role in a safe community. Broken windows, graffiti and other signs of social disorder promote crime and further social disorder. A clean and well-maintained environment, on the other hand, dissuades crime and promotes social order.
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CPTED in action
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Lifted landscaping - before and after
A tree damaged by fire was removed outside the Okanagan Heritage Museum, and low-growing vegetation was added to beautify the space while preserving sightlines.
A prominent pathway from ground level to an existing stairwell was added to define the route to the museum entrance.
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Recessed alcove - before and after
The gates at Elks Stadium were moved forward a few feet to eliminate an alcove. This hidden space had provided an attractive spot for drinking, loitering, public urination and other unwanted behaviours.
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Better visibility - before and after
Controlled, lower-cut vegetation invited more light into this parking area and improved sightlines.
Plants didn't need to be taken out completely, just controlled to remove potential hiding places and improve sense of safety.
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Alley beautification - before and after
Neighbours joined forces to give their alley a new lease on life. Alleyway buildings got a new coat of paint and address numbers were posted on building exteriors.
Residents received a $1,500 Strong Neighbourhood Grant to fund the project. Learn how to apply for the grant.
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Uptown Mural Project
The Uptown Rutland Business Association's mural project has turned blank walls into works of art in the Rutland neighbourhood. They've helped make Rutland even more colourful, dynamic and inviting.
Learn more about the project, the murals and the artists at uptownmurals.com .
Protect your vehicle
Take simple steps to protect your car, truck or SUV from theft and break in.
Lock the doors and close all windows.
Never leave your vehicle unattended with the keys inside, even if it's only for a second. Don’t hide a spare key inside your car.
Take your belongings with you. Visible electronics, shopping bags, packages and other valuables can invite a break-in, but the loose coins in your cupholder can also attract unwanted attention.
Your driver's licence, credit card, passport, social insurance card, purse, wallet, backpack all count as valuables. Never leave them behind. Locked doors aren't always enough to protect them.
Protect your bike
Bikes are among the most stealable items you own. They’re valuable, they’re in demand and they provide their own getaway vehicle. Follow these steps to make bike theft more difficult.
Lock it up
Keep bikes locked up at all times, even if they're inside your home. Use a high-quality, hardened-steel U-lock or chain lock. They’re more difficult to cut than cable locks, making them a better theft deterrent.
Lock your up bike according to its value. This means locking your frame first, then the back wheel, and the front wheel if possible.
Remove detachable items from your bike, like e-bike batteries, lights and bags.
Select a secure rack
Choose a bike rack that’s securely attached to the ground, a building or other immobile object. Make sure the rack isn’t damaged in a way that would allow your bike to be removed from it.
The best type of rack will support your bicycle with at least two points of contact, allowing both the frame and wheels to be secured.
A visible, well-travelled area is best for daytime parking. Public bike racks should only be used for shorter visits. Longer-term storage or overnight parking are best done at your home, or in a purpose-built bike locker or storage area.
Inventory and itemize
Record important details about your bicycle. Make and model, serial number, receipt and pictures – keep a file with these details for all your valuables, not just your bike. This information can help police recover your bicycle, or other valuables, in the case of theft.
Project 529 is a great online tool to catalogue your household’s bikes.
Plan your trip
Find bike rack and locker locations, as well as safe cycling routes with the help of this online map.
Personal safety
Physical safety is top priority for most of us. Violent, persons crimes are exceedingly rare, thankfully, and taking the actions below can make them even less likely.
If you’re uncomfortable, don’t go
One of the easiest ways to protect yourself is to stay out of harm’s way. If you must go, tell a friend or family member where you're going and when you're expecting to arrive.
Be aware of your surroundings
Stay sharp to avoid surprises. It’s difficult to be taken by surprise when you’re paying close attention to the world around you.
Take out your headphones, avoid hoods and other clothing that blocks your vision, know where you are and where you’re going, and walk with purpose.
Make sure you can see
Look for well-lit routes when walking at night and embrace open spaces. Plan your route so to avoid isolated areas.
Find safety in numbers
Travel in groups when you can and take busy routes when you’re alone.
Crime Reporting Checklists
Use the following Response Guide when reporting incidents of theft:
