Regina police are giving the public a better idea of how often they use their guns, tasers, and other physical contact.
The use of force board released its yearly report from 2016. It showed a total of 174 incidents, which includes firearm and conducted energy weapon discharges, hard physical strikes and the use of the canine unit. In 93 of those incidents, more than one force option was used to gain control of the situation.
Numbers from 2016, shown in the chart below, show a slight decrease from 2015, when 181 incidents were reported.
“The report shows we are vigilant in documenting and reporting all use of force, all physical contact between police and citizens of Regina, in what context, and it’s being reviewed to determine the appropriateness of the physical contact, whether it’s appropriate or inappropriate,” said Inspector Trevor Ewart.
He said no incident was deemed inappropriate last year. Had it been, disciplinary action or criminal charges could have been options. Ewart also reminds the public that out of all the calls they get in a year, there are only a small fraction of instances where officers are forced to get physical.
“Out of approximately 80,000 calls for service, we’re having 174 use of force incidents being reported,” he said, putting the numbers in context.