Regina’s crime rate continues to fall in 2020

Crime continues to fall in Regina this year, but there remain a few areas where significant increases are being reported.

The Regina Police Service (RPS) delivered its latest monthly crime statistics report at Tuesday’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting. The numbers compiled reflect the RPS’s activity for the year up to the end of October (the board has not met for a few months due to the civic election).

The picture is generally positive, with total crime down by 30 per cent year to date. Crimes against property are leading that trend, with big reductions in historical problem areas like auto theft (down 44 per cent), attempted auto theft (down 54 per cent), theft under $5,000 (down 42.5 per cent), and theft over $5,000 (down 43.2 per cent).

Traffic tickets are down, with officer-issued tickets dropping 38 per cent. Police Chief Evan Bray says that’s the result of officers giving residents a break.

“That really has a lot to do with the fact that we relaxed traffic enforcement significantly through the early part of COVID, understanding there was a lot of community challenges,” Bray told the board members. “We felt like that was the appropriate thing to do, to focus on education and community safety, but not enforcement through that period.”

However, it’s clear that drivers are still speeding — photo radar tickets are up 36 per cent year over year.

Regina has seen a dramatic increase in the number of overdoses reported in 2020. In mid-November, the RPS noted the city had seen 85 apparent overdose deaths, compared to a quarter of that in the previous year.

In total, police had heard of 953 overdose events at that point in 2020, with police attending 361 of those events, and administering Narcan 60 times.

As a result, the RPS has focused on drug enforcement, increasing charges by 24 per cent for the year up to the end of October.

“This isn’t a surprise given that we’re seeming to be in the media every day talking about drug challenges in our community,” Bray noted. “Almost all of our enforcement from a drug standpoint has been on the large-scale importation and trafficking of drugs, (with) very little focus on small personal possession charges. These represent some large seizures we’ve been able to do.”

A rash of arsons earlier in the year also drove up that category by 40 per cent. Bray noted investigators have made arrests and laid a large number of charges related to those cases.

The full report on 2020 crime states can be viewed on the RPS website.

Rewards extended

The RPS also recommended to the board that the $50,000 rewards for information about two cases be extended.

The police are still investigating the disappearance of Tamra Keepness, who hasn’t been seen since July of 2004.

As well, investigators are trying to solve the murders of Gray Nay Htoo, Maw Maw and Seven June Htoo, who were killed in August of 2010.

The recommendations were approved, meaning the rewards are to be extended to Dec. 31, 2021.