(Photo: Nathan Ritchie)

The spokesperson for the Kamloops RCMP says the COVID-19 pandemic is not hindering investigations in high-profile crime incidents.

Cpl. Jodi Shelkie was asked about any potential strain on the detachment with the pandemic outbreak this month.

“Kamloops RCMP, and the RCMP in general, have put together different mechanisms and plans to deal with the pandemic. This last week or so we have had an influx of more serious crime, but at the same time, because we had our plans in place we are fully-resourced and we’re investigating each one of them to our fullest extent.”

Shelkie says the detachment is conscious of measures to limit the spread of the virus when in the field.

“We have personal protection equipment assigned to each officer who goes out. When we’re dealing with the public, we try and maintain our social distancing if at all possible. And then we have proper protocol on decontaminating after we’ve been to a scene; both our physical person and our police vehicle as well.”

Shelkie acknowledges the spike in high-profile incidents, but says overall, the rate of crime in Kamloops is down in the first three months of this year compared to 2019.

In the past two weeks, Kamloops has had its first homicide of 2020, an attempted murder, an attempted child abduction and a stabbing.

Meanwhile, in response to mayor Ken Christian mentioning a 20-per-cent jump in property crime, Shelkie says that is a year-over-year jump compared to 2019, and is not necessarily linked to the pandemic.