Public perception of Regina police falls for first time in 15 years: survey

Results of an annual community perceptions survey show that positive perceptions of the Regina Police Service (RPS) have declined for the first time in 15 years.

According to the survey, about 85 per cent say they would agree with having confidence in calling 911 in an emergency situation requiring police presence. This marks a decline of around seven per cent from a similar survey conducted in 2019.

Nick Jones is a justice studies professor at the University of Regina and assisted in analyzing the survey results.

He said that the decline is not surprising given recent world events that negatively impacted police services. Such as the George Floyd incident and the ensuing protests, along with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think this just went with a general malaise in the community (with) concerns of trust and confidence in everything,” said Jones.

“I think the pandemic was polarizing in a number of ways and I think it really made people question where they are getting their information (from) and what’s valid, what’s real?”

Over 450 Regina residents were surveyed by telephone for the study, which was conducted by the University of Regina on behalf of RPS from Sept. 8, 2021 to Oct. 21, 2021.

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The decline in positive perceptions have been seen and reported on at a federal level and throughout municipalities across Canada.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said despite the decline, the police service is on the right track.

“I am pleased with the survey results, we still have a very high degree of satisfaction with our police service,” said Bray.

“Some of those numbers in terms of professionalism and respect are in the mid to high 80s from people that are interacting with our officers and our civilian police personnel, that is outstanding.”

Bray said there is always work to do and some areas need improvement, adding their community involvement took a hit due to the pandemic. Rebuilding relationships is a key strategy in regaining the public's confidence.

“We can never stop working on building relationships," Bray explained.

"As a police service, we know that is our number one goal."

Responses from the survey covered a variety of topics including visibility and presence, trust and confidence, police responsiveness, crime and fear of crime, quality of service, public information and social media, and demographic information.

Another result from the survey stated that 60.5 per cent of respondents agreed that RPS personnel are a visible presence in their community.

Respondents were also asked about what areas the RPS need to improve on, with 33.4 per cent saying that interactions with people and mental illness should be a top priority.

An important element of these relationships starts within the police headquarters and hiring members reflective of the community in Regina, according to Bray.

“If they can see themselves in our organization is such an essential part to building those relationships and ultimately enhancing trust and faith in our police service to do the job that they expect us to do," he said.

In a Tuesday meeting, RPS officials discussed the current crime rate and reported a total of 8,587 police reported crimes in the first half of 2022.

A four per cent increase from the year previous and a three per cent increase from a decade earlier.

Highlighted in the crime rate increase is the offence of arson, with 166 reported incidents through 2022.

The 10 year average for arson related incidents in Regina is 71.