Regina police seeing ups and downs in 10-year crime stats

It appears things are up and down for the Regina Police Service.

On Wednesday, 10-year crime statistics released by the RPS showed that total crime was up in 2018 compared to 2009 by a little over 12 per cent, excluding traffic or drug crimes.

When it comes to total crimes against a person, they were down nearly 12 per cent from 2009. That includes a reduction in crimes like assault, kidnapping and robbery.

There were increases in homicide and attempted murder, and sexual assault.

Sexual Assault

The Regina Police Service has explained previously that it has been seeing an increase in sexual assault and it’s believed to be due, in part, to an increase in reporting from movements like #metoo.

There was a 32-per-cent increase from 2009 to 2018. Bray said that change is also believed to derive from changes to classification through Stats Canada.

The police expect reports of sexual assault to continue increasing, and Bray teased an announcement on resources in that sector in the next few months.

“I think it’s going to be a real positive step forward for the citizens of Regina, for our police service, and ultimately to help those who are survivors of sexual assault,” he said.

Stolen Cars

Crimes against property were up in 2018 by nearly 22 per cent over 2009. One of the big jumps was in stolen vehicles; they were up almost 38 per cent from 2009.

The police say the number of keys left in vehicles and vehicles left unattended contributed to this rise. The number of stolen vehicles was also up in January and February of this year compared to the same time last year.

Bray said it’s frustrating still seeing keys being left in vehicles, but he said it’s not about blaming the victims of the crime.

“The reality is, it’s just something that we can’t be complacent on,” he said. “We have to try and find ways to help people prevent themselves from being a target.”

Break and enter along with thefts in general were up in 2018, as were arson numbers.

Impaired Driving

On the positive side, impaired driving charges were down in 2018 by more than 18 per cent from 2009.

Bray pointed out impaired driving numbers have been on the decline for the past 10 years.

“I’d like to think that’s some societal influence in tolerance level for impaired driving,” said Bray. “I think we’re seeing the message is getting through. I hope that we’re seeing less of it, (but) unfortunately it’s not totally gone.”

Bray said he’s wary of calling any statistical decrease a victory, as it’s hard to tell what’s actually driving the numbers.

“Of course I’m happy to see it, but I also know that we can’t ever take our foot off the gas pedal,” he said, “and certainly there’s some areas that are still a challenge for us.”

Not just a Regina problem

Overall, Bray said there are some frustrations in those crime stats, looking at areas where the city is trending high.

He said crime rates across Western Canada, and in some respects across Canada, are seeing similar increases. He said a lot of that is driven by drugs and addictions, which often are an element of gang activity.

Bray said there are programs happening across Saskatchewan to deal with the rising gang problem.