The top cop in Kamloops says he doesn’t think a trend of violent crime in the city is “the new normal.”

Syd Lecky was asked while briefing the media on recent crime events, and did acknowledge that recent incidents in the city are unprecedented.

“I do think that there are some things that are a new normal. Fentanyl is a new normal, I think we need to get our brains wrapped around the fact that it’s here to stay, and its impacts. And it’s getting included in everything that is drug-related,” Lecky says.

“But I can’t say that the violence associated to it, per se, is a new normal. We’ve seen other places where we’ve had spikes or prolonged periods, we need to adjust. Whether it’s as an organization, the Kamloops RCMP. Or as a municipality, if we have to add resources to help adjust and react.”

Mounties are continuing to investigate a number of violent crimes in recent months, including two fatal hotel shootings in January and the murder of Troy Gold last fall. As for the most recent homicide, a shooting at a Brocklehurst home on Feb. 15,  police have arrested and charged two suspects and say they aren’t actively seeking any more suspects in that case.