Regina police chief says new initiatives to enhance community safety will come in 2025

Looking back after one year in his new role as the chief of the Regina Police Service, Farooq Hassan Sheikh is highlighting challenges the city faces, what has worked during his tenure and what can be done to improve policing in 2025.

In a year-end interview with CTV News Regina’s Lee Jones, Sheikh said there has been a positive impact of increased resources and proactive policing on crime levels in the city.

“We've had a little bit of a growth plan, real support from the previous board and the mayor, so we've been able to get more resources out in the street, in the right places, and I think that's positively impacted crime as well, because we've got more resources,” he explained.

“We've got a great media team, so we're out there, being proactive, and being able to take people out who are committing crime.”

Sheikh has an extensive background in policing, having experience in Alberta and the United Kingdom before landing in Regina. He said social issues, such as homelessness, mental health and addictions, are common across the country.

“The other concern for me as chief is I had a lot of feedback from members of the communities from downtown that they didn't feel as safe as they should,” he said.

Sheikh said dealing with drugs in the community is difficult, but said 2024 has seen some big drug busts in Regina, which he credited to staff and members of the public coming forward.

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“I think that we need to continue as a police service … to be proactive. Where we get intelligence, we act upon it. And if we can take out the big-time suppliers of those drugs, then that's going to have a positive impact,” he said.

Going forward into 2025, Sheikh said he plans to establish Neighborhood Watch schemes and a camera registry program to enhance community safety and crime prevention.

The camera registry program would allow residents to voluntarily register their home security cameras.

It would map out camera locations and quickly respond to crimes or suspicious activities.

“It helps reduce crime, it helps prevent crime, and it helps bring offenders to justice, but more importantly, makes people feel safe,” Sheikh said.

The full interview can be seen using the video player at the top of this story.