It's been a busy year so far for the Whistler RCMP, with a rise in calls for service and more than a few notable cases under investigation.
In a recent sit-down with Pique, the Sea to Sky's officer-in-charge Insp. Robert Dykstra talked stats to date, a bike park assault that went viral, the search for missing person Illya Rechytskyy, how the RCMP is approaching unhoused people, and more.
Calls for service up 15 per cent
In compiling crime statistics, police use a five-year rolling average, which smooths out the impact of short-term variations, providing a more accurate picture, Dykstra said. Then they compare the 2025 quarter to the rolling five-year average by quarter or year-to-date.
Total calls for service this year are up by about 15 per cent, with 2,688 calls so far.
“[We’re] definitely tracking higher than in previous years, which is a lot of times driven by population growth,” Dykstra said. “Even though it is five years after, we're still kind of seeing the increases in people coming into the community post-COVID.”
Violent crime in 2025 is 17 per cent higher than the rolling average. Other years have seen an increase as high as 155 per cent, so while 17 per cent may seem like a lot, it isn’t cause for concern, according to Dykstra.
The driver of increased violent crime in Whistler is predominantly related to uttering threats, which, as a subset of violent crime, has risen by 150 per cent.
“They don't always lead to charges, but we have investigated a much higher number of those, year-to-date in 2025, than we have in previous years. But that would have an impact on those numbers,” Dykstra said.
Property crime is up about nine per cent, which Dykstra said is often related to theft under $5,000 from unlocked vehicles, as well as ski and bike thefts. These crimes can easily be prevented by locking vehicles and securing pricey gear. For bikes, Dykstra highlighted 529 Garage, which helps police return stolen bikes to their rightful owners.
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act calls have trended higher, with 27 investigations in 2025, compared to the five-year average of 17.6.
Mental-health calls for service are up by 20 per cent, with 112 calls in 2025—an increase driven in part by a new role in the force. Car 99 launched as a pilot project in the corridor in 2023, and pairs police with nurse practitioners to do proactive follow-ups and check-ins—similar to having a mobile integrated crisis response (MICR) program, where an officer is directly working on mental-health investigations. Dykstra said the officer has had strong success with individuals in the community, and the number of calls for service is higher than in previous years because having a designated officer means staff are generating the files themselves, rather than being called to attend.
Collisions are down about 20 per cent, which Dykstra said he’d like to attribute to an eight-per-cent increase in ticketing.
While the Whistler RCMP does not yet have statistics to show whether higher crime rates are directly related to increased visitation, Dykstra said this year police are beginning to track this type of data at the request of the Resort Municipality of Whistler. The visitor definition excludes second-homeowners and workers.
“It is interesting to get a sense of, you know, is it local issues? Is it tourists? Like, what is the population of folks that are causing the most of our work?” he said.
So, aside from statistics, what are some notable files from the past month?
Social media sleuths
A viral video of a man throwing a bike into a river at Whistler Blackcomb’s bike park caught the attention of social media scrollers and the Whistler RCMP.
Dykstra came across the video on Instagram and asked staff about it, and they had already started a file and investigation.
“I think sometimes people don't realize that when we see something like that on Instagram, that we were going to follow up on it," Dykstra said. "We did ... we've arrested that individual, and he's been released on an undertaking. We're waiting to determine if charges will be approved."
Two separate fire investigations in June also relied on video evidence and community tips to crack the case. Dykstra said an outpouring of informative tips and video footage assisted RCMP in determining the identity of individuals involved in both ignitions, who he said were “literally playing with fire.”
Dykstra pointed to anxiety from the Dryden Creek wildfire as a possible reason why there was a significant number of tips for these cases.
“Having the community involved in crime prevention and/or solving crime is a huge partnership that needs to be in place," Dykstra said. "We do what we can do, but a lot of times we don't see everything.”
The incidents became an opportunity for education and conversation with parents and youth about the potential dangers of forest fires and property damage from starting a fire, which is banned in Whistler.
Hopes for water recovery
Missing person Illya Rechytskyy is still tragically nowhere to be found after being swept away in the Cheakamus River on Canada Day.
Dykstra highlighted the coordinated effort aimed at finding the victims, including Whistler and Pemberton SAR helicopter flyovers, officers going out with SAR, drone searches in rugged terrain and significant shoreline scouting.
The family has also been actively searching, alongside community members, and adhering to guidance from the Whistler RCMP.
“We believe he is deceased, which is really sad," Dykstra said. "He remains missing, and the file is going to remain open and under active investigation until we can locate him."
Once dangerous conditions on the river calm down, the inspector said searches for Rechytskyy’s body can proceed.
Compassion for campers
One hot-button issue for some Whistlerites is long-term camping on Crown land. Dykstra said the issue, while important, isn’t nearly as intense as in nearby Squamish, but the force’s priority remains public safety and compassion for people who often have no other option.
“In a lot of cases, not all cases, but in a lot of cases, what you see are people that don't have, you know, the income to live in or rent or own housing, and so they're trying to survive, and so this is where they go in order to be able to have a place to stay,” he stressed.
Dykstra said the RCMP patrols and checks for safety issues, and would only have the authority to intervene through an order to remove people from the property.
“We would follow through and try to do it in as compassionate a way as we possibly can," he said. "We haven't had a ton of complaints related to some of the camps around Whistler. At least it hasn't come to my attention that that’s something that is a problem."
Car 99 and mental health
As for Whistler's Car 99, while the local detachment has an officer working these cases, they have yet to get approval from Vancouver Coastal Health for the nurse to work alongside them.
This type of policing differs in terms of the level of support and the proactive nature of the role.
“The follow-up piece is really huge," Dykstra said. "You don't always see that in all aspects of policing, because you just don't have the ability to do it.”
The investigator has had good results with two individuals who have various mental illnesses, including bipolar and schizophrenia. When they’re in crisis, several files are created. However, what they needed was wrap-around support and long-term follow-up, achieved by working with local partners, including nurses, doctors, and community organizations.
“Contacts with them have demonstrated that they're actually doing better than they were, which is good, which means they're getting the support and assistance that they require," Dykstra said. "Again, sometimes our work isn't always about arresting people. Sometimes, yes, in mental health, we have to apprehend somebody, but that's the only way that they're able to then get in and get the support and assistance that they need."
