Staff morale first order of business for Regina’s new police chief

Regina’s new top cop said it was the strong staff that drew him to the Regina Police Service.

“I was really impressed with Regina Police Service, really impressed with the leadership (and) really impressed with what the staff have been doing and the reputation they’ve got,” Farooq Hassan Sheikh said Tuesday. “(It’s a) well-regarded, well-respected organization, and obviously I’ve done my research on Regina as itself, and I want to be a part of that community.”

Sheikh was officially sworn in as Regina’s chief of police on Dec. 1. Since that time, he has been spending lots of time getting to know staff members in the building.

“For me, I need to understand what’s going on here in Regina,” Sheikh said. “The plan is to engage with all my staff, meet key stakeholders (and) members of the public, and understand first what the members of the public want.

“For my staff (I want to understand) what’s working, what maybe needs changing and understand how the service is run.”

Sheikh came to Regina from the Alberta Sheriff’s Service, with which he started serving as chief in 2021. He started his career in the United Kingdom at places like the London Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police. In Canada, he has been a part of the Calgary and Central Saanich police forces.

Sheikh has been policing since 1992.

He is taking over as chief in Regina from Evan Bray, who retired in the summer. Bray subsequently joined 980 CJME and 650 CKOM to succeed John Gormley on the flagship talk radio show in Saskatchewan.

One of Sheikh’s first priorities is making sure to keep good morale within the Regina Police Service.

“I want my staff to have a voice,” he said, “and it’s important to me that I have an inclusive workforce, that everyone throughout the ranks — civilian and sworn-in — has a voice in the direction we are going moving forward.”

According to Sheikh, the secret to success for officers and staff members is happiness in the workplace. Once you have people happy and excited to go to work, people start to go the extra mile.

Many changes that could be made would not come for a while.

His first month here is all about engaging, observing, and absorbing. Sheikh said he has often been the new person putting on the uniform, and said those experiences gave him some insight coming into the province.

“That’s why it’s important to not go into somewhere and change something overnight because it’s really important (to know) what’s working and what’s not working and understand what the staff want,” he said.

Putting on the Regina Police Service uniform for the first time was a proud moment for Sheikh.

“I’ve worked in many agencies and this is my biggest privilege as chief of police in Regina,” he said. “I’m just proud to wear the uniform, proud to be part of the team (and) proud to be working with some really great people. Again, my goal is to make Regina the safest place.”

Regina Board of Police Commissioners

Crimes against the person and crimes against property — like robberies and assaults — show a combined year-to-date increase of nine per cent.

Crimes against the person were up 23.3 per cent compared to October of 2022, when there were 569 incidents.

Deputy Chief Dean Rae called the increase “quite concerning.”

Crimes against property showed an increase of 5.5 per cent from October 2022 to this past October.

Theft of vehicles went down by 12.4 per cent year over year. Rae said he believes the decrease was due to the new Aerial Support Unit.

The board also voted to extend a $50,000 reward until Dec. 31, 2024 for information that leads to determining the whereabouts of Tamra Keepness.