Property crime is on the rise in Regina, according to numbers released at the monthly board of Police Commissioners meeting on Wednesday.
Property crime against vehicles is up 46 per cent from this time last year, with 1,133 thefts or attempted thefts of vehicles this year, versus 774 from this time in 2017.
Regina's police chief says the people charged with auto thefts are usually involved in other criminal activity too.
“Very seldom will we charge someone with theft of auto, period. Usually there is a litany or charges that go with it, everything from having weapons in a car to possession drugs, committing other crimes,” Chief Evan Bray said. “Usually the theft of the auto is part of a bigger picture and that’s really what we're trying to dig into too.”
Also on the rise is the number of sexual assaults being reported in the city, there has been an increase of 27 per cent.
The police chief says he doesn’t believe it's a rise in incidents rather that more people are now coming forward to report sexual assaults.
Cannabis was also on the meeting agenda, police say they have encountered several people using marijuana in public, which is illegal, but they have not laid any charges. Instead, they have educated people about the laws.
However, the education approach won’t continue much longer.
