Homicide and attempted murder continue to be a problem in the Queen City, according to a recent Regina police report.
There have been six homicides in Regina so far in 2019. Although lower than the 10-year average of 7.2, police say “one is too many.”
“Most of the homicides that we have in our city, including the ones we experience this year, are either drug or domestic-related,” said Evan Bray, Regina police chief.
“That tends to hold very true for every file that we investigate.”
When it comes to preventing homicides, Bray said it’s a real challenge for police.
“Homicides are very tough to prevent because they are often situational, a fight could break out, a domestic-related situation,” Bray said.
“We try to do a lot of work to dig into the social issues that might prevent something serious from happening.”
There have been 31 attempted murder offences this year, up 138.5 per cent (13) from a year ago.
“Most of the assaults happening in our city are involving weapons, and in many cases, those weapons are firearms,” Bray said.
“A firearm-related assault has a different corresponding investigation and charge than a punch, a push, a kick or physical fight.”
Property crime is something else that has seen a significant increase.
In September, property crime increased by 14.1 per cent when compared to September 2018.
These crimes include break and enters, arson, theft and auto theft.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been 12,141 property crimes, compared to 10,638 this time last year — a 1.14 per cent increase.