Regina police using parked cop cars in effort to curb crime

Police in Regina are exploring a novel method to curb crime.

The Regina Police Service said it’s recently started leaving marked police vehicles parked in “areas of concern” around the city. The vehicles are marked but decommissioned, the police service said, and will not always be occupied.

“At times, there will be no officers present in the vehicles, which are decommissioned patrol vehicles,” the police service said in a statement.

“However, there could be officers in the area in their active patrol vehicles and it will be difficult to tell the vehicles apart at first glance.”

The police service said the goal is to deter criminals, improve public safety, and reduce traffic issues in predetermined areas of Regina while keeping costs low.

The program will be tested “in the coming months,” and may not be a permanent measure depending on its effectiveness.

“We don’t know yet if this will be a good fit for our city,” Staff Sgt. Ryan Dureau with the police service’s Community Service Division said in a statement, “but it has been rolled out in other jurisdictions and we thought it was worth exploring here.”