Regina police initiative ‘nothing but good things’: Deputy Chief

A ramped-up police presence is part of a newer initiative happening once a month in Regina.

“We’ve had some positive interaction and positive reaction,” said Regina Police Deputy Chief Trent Stevely.

Stevely said they held their third-ever All Out Day, on Wednesday. It is aimed at tackling issues like drugs and alcohol and getting officers out on foot, in high-need, and high-traffic areas.

“It’s twofold for the purpose. The first being that there’s some presence and visibility for the community to see police officers out on the street,” said Stevely.

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“Oftentimes you’ll see police officers and police cars, and generally,  we’re heading from one call to another; so this is a good opportunity to engage  with the community, be visible, have a presence in different parts of the city, particularly in areas where there’s always a demand for the police to be  there.”

He explained this time around offices focused their efforts downtown and in North Central.

“Once a month we will identify a day that’s suitable for most  everybody, and we’ll review some information and data and some statistics and say, ‘Okay, this is the area that maybe that we haven’t been to before, or, we’ve heard the demand for police presence there, or there’s some work that needs to be done as far as some traffic enforcement.'”

Stevely said this as there is a level of enforcement with All Out Day.

“That’s everything from checking warrants, traffic enforcement, other engagement files follow-up, investigations, and so forth. So, primarily it’s the presence and visibility, but the enforcement component is a part of that  too.”

From the statistics released after Wednesday’s patrol, 120 officers spent time in both neighbourhoods.

During that time, seven people were arrested, eight were charged, four warrant apprehensions were made, and 55 locations were checked.

When engaging with people to better understand community concerns, police chatted with 132 businesses, 37 homeowners, and 138 people on the street. Officers also conducted 50 interviews and made 34 other community contacts.

Meanwhile, Regina officers identified 51 spots of graffiti and gang tagging.

When it comes to traffic enforcement, 101 traffic stops were made, 70  tickets were issued, and 32 warnings were given. Meanwhile, 17 inspections were completed, and four vehicles were impounded.

As for drinking and driving, police say there were no mandatory alcohol tests or field sobriety tests were made.
Stevely explained that this initiative has been good to increase the visibility of officers in the community.

“It’s exciting that there’s a lot of plainclothes officers or officers who are generally in a patrol function, that they’re given the opportunity and  involved in enforcement and the visibility and presence,” said Stevely. Adding some officers hadn’t been in uniform for a while and so “they have a different spin and a different take on what they  do.”

He said they’ve heard “nothing but good things” since launching this initiative in July.

“It’s been good feedback and response from the community as well. It’s based on data and statistics and where there’s a need for the presence,” said Stevely.

“It isn’t just random, and it’s not just in a high crime area, but it’s been a positive reaction from the community.”