Rise in Regina crime tied to general 'disorder,' acting police chief says

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Crime rates are on the rise in Regina, and the city’s acting police chief says the trend is part of a general “disorder” that has emerged since the COVID-19 pandemic.

By the end of June, crimes against the person were up 25.1 per cent year-to-date, while robberies, specifically, were up 34.7 per cent, according to statistics presented at the Regina Police Service (RPS) board of police commissioners meeting Tuesday.

Lorilee Davies, who has been filling the top city cop job since the departure of former chief Evan Bray at the end of June, said that police have been interacting with people who have not been able to get the support they need, whether it be for mental health or addictions issues. And while she pointed to homelessness and addictions as being struggles for the city, she clarified that she is not pointing the finger at people who suffer from these issues as being the ones responsible for rising crime.

“I think it’s been something coming out of COVID,” she said.

“Lots of people lost their connections to services, we’re seeing sort of, more evidence of lack of services for addictions, for mental health.”

However, over the “last few months” it has become apparent that there are people “in need of assistance,” especially downtown, leading to a “greater sense of not as much safety in the community.”

The comments come at a challenging time, as a homeless camp lies firmly entrenched in front of city hall, and the city and the province, generally, struggle beneath the weight of an opioid crisis that stubbornly refuses to relent. The city is on pace to raise the tragic high water mark set in 2021, when Regina recorded 164 apparent overdose deaths, according to RPS statistics.

Monday night, a vigil was held for Elisa Tuckanow, a young woman who died of an apparent overdose in the camp at city hall.

“It’s a tragedy. Obviously any time anyone loses their life in our community, it’s a huge loss for our city,” Davies said.

The acting chief said “conversation” about the issue is important, and that there is a need for “a lot more services.”

“I don’t think that would come as a surprise to anyone,” she said, noting that she’s aware of a number of service providers looking to fill the need by increasing capacity and are hopefully awaiting funding.

The city’s mayor, Sandra Masters, who sits on the board of police commissioners and whose office overlooks the camp where Tuckanow died, attended Tuesday’s meeting. She asked three questions of police leadership.

First, she asked Davies how important police presence on the streets is in preventing robberies, and the acting chief responded in saying that while the issue can be a tricky one, more police visibility can help with deterrence.

The mayor then asked two questions pertaining to the flight time of the Aerial Support Unit police plane.

She left the meeting just before it adjourned, and as such was not available to answer questions from reporters who raised the issues of homelessness, addictions, and rising crime with Davies alone. Masters has previously offered condolences to Tuckanow’s family.

Former police chief Evan Bray had, at the last commissioners meeting, signalled interest in a controversial idea he referred to as “secure custody legislation,” which would effectively allow some people with addictions to be forced to attend treatment.

Davies said she feels there are “a lot of models out there that definitely merit more exploration,” including secure treatment facilities.

She said the decriminalization approach taken in British Columbia has been presenting “issues” in that police don’t “have an avenue, obviously, to arrest or seize drugs, but on the health side there hasn’t been the corresponding increase in opportunities for people to seek treatment.”

bharder@postmedia.com