Crime statistics shared by the Regina Board of Police Commissioners show an increase in crimes against property of 8.7 per cent compared with October 2021.
Over the course of 2021, that increase is attributed to 790 reported incidents. Theft under $5,000 also saw an increase of 17.8 per cent.
Crimes against the person decreased from October of last year, dropping 7.2 per cent. Overall crimes against the person and crimes against property combined from 2021 to 2022 for an increase of 5.1 per cent.
Homicide numbers continue to be a topic of discussion with the board. Regina saw its highest number of homicides in 2021. Regina police Chief Evan Bray says although lower numbers are projected for 2022, the social issues in Regina continue to have an effect.
“The availability of weapons like firearms can cause a different outcome than two people getting into a fistfight,” Bray says. “So, when you have arguments that break out and someone pulls out a weapon like a firearm, that has different consequences.”
The report also had details on the RPS approach to tiered policing, an alternative approach for offering policing services to a community. Some alternatives could be civil officers, private security, special constables and community support officers.
The RPS is hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Saskatoon Police Service, which has alternative response officers (ARO). Comprising six special constables, the ARO is deployed into Saskatoon’s downtown and can work a plethora of duties, including walking the beat, facilitating outreach and enforcing infractions under provincial and municipal legislation.
The board put forth a motion to explore this option in bigger ways in hopes of discovering where AROs might be placed within RPS operations and bringing forward a business case to the board.
“What that does is allow us to find an alternate and cost-effective way for us to deliver service that frees up time for officers to do their job and service other parts of the community,” added Bray.
Bray estimates the earliest implementation of alternative service would be 2024, with 2023 allocated to doing analysis on what duties would be required of the officers along with a presentation to the board with results.