Privacy breaches prompt women to demand change at Regina Police Service

Two recent cases involving members of the Regina Police Service, as well as the circumstances surrounding the firing of police chief Farooq Sheikh, have prompted a petition and open letter calling for reforms.

The letter, which appears on Tuesday’s Board of Police Commissioners agenda, accuses the police, courts and provincial government of failing to protect women and their privacy and failing to hand down appropriate penalties to the perpetrators.

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“Women are again left with little reason to trust the system, which adds to the already existing problem of stalking and assaults going unreported,” the letter read.

Trish Elliott, one of the letter’s authors, said she wasn’t a victim herself, but the idea arose as she and her friends talked about the high price women pay when they report violations.

“There isn’t really a mechanism for appropriate sentencing for these kinds of offenses,” Elliott said in an interview.

“We want the Ministry of Justice to take a good look at bringing in an aggravating factor that takes into account the power imbalance between police and the women that they’re stalking.”

Elliott said a review of practices and policies is also needed to hold the police chief and officers accountable.

“Women don’t want to come forward because they see what’s happening to women who do, how hard it is for them, and then how light the punishments are,” Elliott said. “So from what we hear, this is part of the culture that exists within the police service.”

One officer sentenced to time in community after pleading guilty, another charged under privacy act

Former Regina Police Service sergeant Robert Semenchuk was found to have snooped on 33 women during his 22-year career, illegally accessing police databases in an attempt to establish relationships with them.

Semenchuk was sentenced in February to two years in the community, followed by three years of probation, after pleading guilty to breach of trust and unauthorized use of a computer.

The sentence was the result of a joint submission by the Crown and defence.

At the time, police chief Lorilee Davies called Semenchuk’s actions deplorable, appalling and gut-wrenching, and pledged to build back public trust.

Elliott said Davies hasn’t provided enough detail on that promise.

“I think the police chief has promised zero tolerance, but the details she gives are very scant, and the survivors don’t feel anyone is listening to them,” she said.

“We want a much more clear, community-accountable plan of action that’s conducted in consultation with the survivors.”

Meanwhile, another Regina Police Service member was scheduled to appear in court June 15 on a charge under privacy legislation.

Constable Clinton Duquette is accused of using a police database to search for information on an ex, along with their family and friends. If convicted of the non-criminal charge, he faces a fine of up to $50,000 or up to a year in prison.

“We think when these things happen that there should be criminal charges under the breach of trust, which is in the Criminal Code,” Elliott said.

“If there are charges under the provincial privacy laws, then at least there should be an aggravated sentencing factor that takes into account the power imbalance between the police and the women that they stalk.”

The letter writers have chosen the name “Kerry’s Factor” for the aggravating sentencing factor they propose, in honour of Regina journalist Kerry Benjoe, the first victim to file a complaint against Semenchuk.

Kerry Benjoe (left) and Bridgette Cyr, both victims of Robert Semenchuck, speaking to reporters outside Regina Provincial Court after the former cop was sentenced on Feb. 6, 2026. (Abby Zieverink/980 CJME file photo)

The letter also takes aim at the leak of a complainant’s identity during the investigation into Sheikh.

“To date, no one has been found and held to account for the document leak, a very serious act of intimidation against the complainant, with lasting impacts,” the letter read.

Sheikh was fired with cause last October, after an investigation ruled that he had acted in a way that was “dishonourable” to the police service.

The former chief and a police board member were found to have been texting back and forth about a confidential discussion about the chief’s contract. He later asked the board member to delete the messages. Davies, serving as acting chief at the time, was later appointed to the job of chief on a permanent basis.

The letter and petition also call for an education program for Crown prosecutors and for recommendations from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner to be implemented.

A rally is planned before Tuesday morning’s meeting of the board of police commissioners.