In conversation with Regina Police Service Chief Evan Bray, Global News reviews the year with its many incidents, tragedies and social issues.
Q. Many things happen during the year in policing. What comes to your mind when you see the year 2022?
A. I feel like 2022 went by fast, it was a busy year. We were still talking a lot about COVID. There were protests against the convoy in our city and across Canada as well. It was a great start to the year. We had an emergency shelter that was set up in the city and it was a job that we were involved in with some other community partners in terms of security. And then the drugs in our community, the prevalence of firearms in our community, and some of those challenges that happened throughout the year.
We had a few things that I would consider inconsistencies. If you look at the incident that happened with the James Smith Cree Nation in September, our community was unexpectedly involved in a big way. The Gray Cup just recently happened in our community. So along with all of those things I’ll reflect on the day-to-day policing and community safety in our community, that made the year go by very quickly.
Q. Let’s touch on James Smith for a second. Looking out of it, were there some lessons learned on an incident of that magnitude?
A. I think there were some real challenges in those few days but we also learned some important things about organization, the ability for us to work very quickly and collaboratively with partners like the RCMP. It went over very well. At that time we had a lot of investigators working.
The importance of communication with the public was absolutely paramount. This was something we had to focus on and the public was asking for and wanting regular updates on understanding the threat or risk in our community. So that was a big part of what we did there as well. And every time you sit back after an incident like this, there are lessons learned and things we probably would have done differently. But ultimately, I think we were able to communicate consistently well with the public with the RCMP.
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Q. On the subject of drugs and firearms and gangs, the homicide rate this year is lower than 2021, correct?
Q. 2021 was definitely a very high year. In fact, I think it’s one of the highest in the history of our community. We had 15 kills. So this year we are below that. But, you know, homicide is a really sad event and I think we have to be careful. Let us not be deluded that we only have X numbers. Homicide is the most serious incident that can happen in our community from a community safety perspective. It has a devastating effect on many people, families, community members. And so whenever we can try and try to make improvements that will limit the number of serious assaults, homicides, those kinds of things know it’s an important job for us to do.
Q. Just going over the budget that was passed last week and the increases for 2023 and 2024 and the $5 million cap. How important was it to you to know the aspects of mental health you brought up?
A. Yes, it’s very important — I appreciate the fact that you brought it up. You know, we’re very proud of our community police. We are proud of this community. All of the incredible employees who work for the Regina Police Service are dedicated to this work. But we also know that this work can take its toll. We are seeing things, doing things, engaging in activities that most people don’t. Even if you take a look at the number of dead our front line officers are engaged or dealing with throughout the year, including overdoses that are happening in our community at an alarming rate that is taking a toll on our members Can be mentally overwhelming. , And so no different from how we tell our members to keep themselves physically fit.
There are also a number of things we can do as an organization to help us stay mentally fit. And so that safety program, which includes regular check-ins with a psychologist — these are important things to make sure that our officers are resilient and that we stay on top of their mental health, which is so essential and again incredible. Providing community service to the City of Regina.
Q. There’s also a lot of talk about dealing with the budget, support in the community, wider social issues, homelessness, and then more and more money is going to come into the police budget. Where do you see that balance in the community? Perhaps more money could be put elsewhere?
A. Of course, I think first of all, the police budget has had a very strong relationship with the city budget. We’ve stayed around 20 percent of the city budget for decades. We haven’t gone above this. We haven’t got much less than that. So you know where we were in the eighties and where we are today in the nineties. 18.5 percent of the total net budget is that proportional share of the city? So although our budget has increased, is the city and ours not keeping pace with that, which I think is important.
And the second thing I say is investing in ways to help people from a societal perspective is so important, it’s so important. The city has a role in that, but so does the province of the federal government. But we have to understand that this is not an either-or discussion. The budget increases that we make every year are directly proportional and related to the demands that are placed on our service from citizens. So we are just asking for, for example, more officers because of the demands that we are getting. Our executives are busy…often this means we have to make selections or we can’t get to the call as quickly as we’d like. And that is directly related to the service providers.
And so it’s really about finding that balance, being able to provide excellent service to the citizens of Regina, a service that they’ve come to expect and also work meaningfully with community partners and Let’s try to address some of the root causes that ultimately have a positive impact on the work we do.
Q. Along with the budget discussions, there was a lot of talk about technology. I’m just curious, where is the body cam conversation in Regina at the moment?
A. We have had several conversations with our Board of Police Commissioners. So we have done some studies on the positives of the program and some of the challenges of the program. Ultimately, this is a decision we will make with our Board of Police Commissioners. Obviously, this was not included in our 23-24 budget. I think it’s safe to say that body cams will become such a standard piece of equipment for policing across Canada that at some point some agencies are stepping in earlier than others.
I think there’s a date and time, we will as well, but I think as we work with our board to understand that we want to make sure that our resources are at a point where we can use those resources. sacrifices that equate to service delivery in exchange for bodycams. And so that discussion, it’s been a healthy one. It’s been good with both our work and our community.
Q. Any update on the new headquarters?
A. So we’re moving to the new headquarters, I would say first quarter of 2023. So in fact over the next few months we’ll be in the new headquarters building, our front desk and … our public areas in the building that you can now access from Saskatchewan Drive. So we look forward to it. I’m going to say spring.
We’ll probably have a grand opening ribbon cutting on that. And overall it is going to be a positive experience for the citizens of our city. I think the footprint, the physical footprint of this building allows us to better meet the needs that our community has and do so in a way that we know works, I think, in the same on location much more efficiently and effectively.
Q. Lastly, you’re looking at just 2023, where our main focus points to bringing that bus safety to the city.
A. The (Regina’s) air support unit, which was approved in last year’s budget, is now well in the air and working. Now, we’ve already had some really positive early successes with that project, so I would expect it to continue to enhance public safety, reduce risk in the community as we move into 2023. Drug issue with province to provincial partners and local partners. I think we can take some concrete steps there.
The problem of drunkenness in our city is connected with almost everything. If you look at gangs, if you look at firearms, it all points to the challenges of drugs and addiction. So coming at it from a few different angles, including harm reduction, they will make some positive impact on our community and that positive work should also affect crime rates. So it’s really about enhancing security, providing good visibility across the city, working on those things. I would say more quality of life crimes so from speeding your car and noisy vehicles, those kinds of things that affect your quality of life in your home, along with those larger social issues that really, That, I think, fuels a lot of the violence and the challenges that we see here.