Crystal meth driving crime in Regina: police chief

Regina’s top cop is pointing to crystal meth as the No. 1 driver of crime in the city.

Evan Bray said while fentanyl poses a problem due to the dangers of the drug, crystal meth is causing the most issues for officers.

“We’re seeing cases where one person who is addicted to crystal meth is committing a series of serious offences, violent offences in order to try and secure money and/or property that can be converted to get the drug,” he told Gormley Thursday.

Bray also spoke about an incident where a teenager threatened two people with a loaded gun at different locations.

“The reality is that this gun was loaded, so had he encountered someone who was aggressive towards him and challenged him,” Bray said.

“What’s to say he doesn’t squeeze the trigger on that firearm, which is loaded, and now we’re dealing with something very different.”

The police chief said officers are not sure if meth addiction was the only factor in that incident as alcohol was also involved.

Attempted murders on the rise

According to Bray, the number of attempted murders in Regina increased from 13 to 33 from 2015 to 2016.

That’s an increase of around 155 per cent.

“We’re seeing a decrease in lower-level assaults, but are seeing an increase in aggravated and attempted murders because of the fact guns are being used to commit the assaults.”

The number of murders in Regina decreased over the same time period, from eight to seven.

Winter drivers

With the recent weather in Regina, Bray wanted to remind people to drive slowly and respect the rules of the road.

“The majority of our citizens, one of their biggest complaints is slushy conditions, motorists not stopping or slowing down when there’s pedestrians, crosswalks not being cleared of snow.”