Murders, arson, sex crimes rise in latest crime report in Regina

The number of murders and attempted murders in Regina in 2021 was more than double the total from a decade earlier.

According to crime statistics released at a Board of Police Commissioners meeting Tuesday, there were seven murders and eight attempted murders in the city in 2012. Last year, there were 15 murders and 20 attempted murders.

The number of murders last year was the highest over that 10-year span.

Chief Evan Bray was asked by Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens to explain why those numbers have gone up and to summarize the background of murders in the city.

Bray said some people assume gangs are generally the issue, but he said that’s not necessarily true.

“Predominantly, a large number of our homicides fall into a couple of different categories. One of them is drug-related offences. It may be that there’s a gang connection as well, but often there’s some sort of an affiliation with drugs, and domestic conflict,” he explained.

He further clarified what he meant by domestic conflict.

“Domestic conflict isn’t always husband-wife in the traditional sense. It can be exes, it can be family relationships of different sorts (like) brother-sister — you name it,” he continued.

“Often, a lot of people want to be able to point and say (the number of murders) is gang-related. There is a segment of it that are gang-related, but if we peel it back even further, often it falls into one of those two categories: Drugs or a domestic relationship.”

He also said the problem isn’t unique to Regina.

“I was just in Winnipeg yesterday and they had their ninth homicide for 2022 … I’m not trying to diminish our numbers, but I can tell you that homicides are a problem … certainly in prairie Canadian cities. We see it in Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary for sure,” he elaborated.

Another crime that reached its highest level over the past decade was sexual crimes. There were 207 sexual assaults last year compared to 122 in 2012.

Bray said there’s a connection between domestic issues and sexual assaults.

“It’s not always that case, but there is a connection,” he said.

As for what to do to address the problem, he pointed to the work the police service is doing with the Regina Sexual Assault Centre and Sexual Assault Services Saskatchewan.

Also, he pointed to Clare’s Law, a piece of legislation from June 2020 that allows people to request information about their partner to see if there’s a threat of violence in the relationship.

“That integrates in our work with our police service and other partners, and of course, provides them literally a handoff with support services that can ensure their safety,” Bray said.

Other trends

Total crime has gone up slightly over the past decade in Regina.

Last year, there was an increase in all crime of under one per cent since 2012.

The increase was more noticeable in the number of violent crimes against the person. There were 2,816 such incidents in 2012 compared to 3,029 last year. That’s an increase of eight per cent.

Robberies were nearly identical, with 264 a decade ago and 263 in 2021.

The number of assaults also stayed relatively stable, with 2,061 total assaults in 2012 and 2,066 last year.

Police began tracking a new crime in 2014: Non-consensual distribution of intimate images.

There were two such incidents in 2016. The number went up to 16 in 2021.

Cases of extortion also increased. There were only two cases in 2012, but 25 last year. The report went into more detail on why that trend is happening.

Apparently, 90 per cent of extortion cases involve a specific issue on social media.

An unknown person will reach out to the victim, building trust by sharing intimate photos. Then they’ll ask the victim to do the same.

“The anonymous individual will record and threaten to disclose the victim’s private images or videos to the victim’s social media connections, family and friends, unless they provide money,” the report read.

Arson was another crime that saw a significant rise. There were 60 incidents of arson in 2012, and 315 last year.

To see the statistics on each type of crime, click here.