Photo: Colin Dacre

UPDATE 1:55 p.m.

RCMP say they have now identified a group of youth believed to be responsible for defacing a local park with racist graffiti.

Images of the youth have now been removed from this story, per the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

ORIGINAL 12:15 p.m.

Police in Kelowna have released images of a group of youth believed to be responsible for defacing a local park with racist graffiti.

The graffiti-covered park on Calmels Crescent in Glenmore was discovered by a local resident on May 27.

The area was covered in spray paint, including hateful tags such as swastika, N-word and male genitalia.

“It was determined the incident happened around 11:30 p.m. the previous evening, and video was obtained from a nearby store where the large group of youths attended at 11:40 p.m.,” said CrimeStoppers of the Central Okanagan.

If you can help to identify any of the teenagers who are alleged to be involved in the incident, please report it to Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or leave a tip at www.crimestoppers.net where you can remain anonymous and earn a cash reward. File 2023-29127.

Police say in cases like this where youth are suspected of vandalism, formal charges are often not laid.

“When we do identify them, and we have in the past, we have to work within the Youth Criminal Justice Act,” explains Kelowna RCMP media relations officer, Const. Mike Della-Paolera. He says instead of charges, it’s often a case of restorative justice, counselling and working with parents to correct the behavior.