RPS hopes new program will reduce crime, build better relations

The Regina Police Service is taking a new stance on crime, and is hoping to build stronger community relationships in the process.

On Wednesday, the police force announced its “All In Progressive Policing Initiative: Engagement and Enforcement,” which it said will put more officers into some Regina neighbourhoods.

Police are launching the initiative in Cathedral and Center Square neighbourhoods, which saw around 100 officers in the area patrolling and connecting with people for the day.

The police service said it would share the results of the initiative in a news release.

Regina Police Chief Farooq Sheikh said officers will schedule days to conduct the program in all Regina neighbourhoods.

“The engagement is all about interaction, collaboration, we get an opportunity to listen, and hopefully alleviate their concerns,” he said.

Sheikh said he was happy the program had seen some success in its first day, with some people approaching officers asking about fraud prevention.

“We’ve had people come up to us and say ‘its great seeing cops out,’ ” he said. “We’ve had people come up and say ‘it’s really reassuring.’ ”

The 2023 Community Perceptions Survey of the Regina Police Service, which was completed by 457 people, showed that residents wanted a greater police presence on Regina’s streets, with a focus on tackling issues such as drugs and alcohol.

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Sheikh said this is an opportunity to encourage people to report crime when they see it.

“We want people to be able to have the trust and confidence when things do go wrong, that they do report it,” he said.

The police service said the new initiative will include strategic responses from police along with data-driven enforcement. Rotating neighbourhood operations will also use data-driven analysis to send more officers into high-crime areas.

Police said another goal of the program is to make better connections with people and business owners in the city through different engagement strategies, as better relationships help to reduce crime.

The police service said it hopes to stop crime before it happens through the new initiative, and proactively respond to issues by having more officers present in select neighbourhoods.