Here’s what Regina’s Chief of police has to say about the city’s high crime rates

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Michaela Solomon Digital Content Producer

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Regina sits second in the country in the Total Crime Severity Index in a new report released on Monday by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Regina Police Services Chief Evan Bray says there are a number of reasons for this high statistic, and shares how members of the public can protect themselves.

“It’s really driven by drugs and gangs in our community,” Bray told CTV Morning Live. “Drugs guns and gangs are the big three and I don’t think we need to look any further than this weekend where we had a few shootings.”

The City of Regina saw the Total Crime Rate rise by eight per cent from 2017-to-2018, climbing from 8,681 incidents per 100,000 in 2017 to 9,521 in 2018. The largest increases were seen in the robbery (26 per cent), breaking-and-entering (23 per cent) and motor vehicle theft (51 per cent) rates.

Bray explained that police can charge people for the crimes they commit, but often the underlying cause of the offense is harder for police to manage.

“Stealing a vehicle is a criminal offence and we’re going to charge that person for that,” he said. “But often that person is fueling an addiction. Unless we can dig into the root causes, they’re going to commit another crime.”

Bray said police rely on government and community partners to help them handle addiction and other social issues that are the driving force behind Regina’s crime.

“It’s not going to happen overnight, it takes a lot of collaboration,” Bray said. “It’s time and resource intensive to help someone with a true addiction.”

In terms of protecting oneself from crime, Bray said there are a number of steps that can be taken.

“Property crime is something we see throughout the city,” Bray said. “We tell people not to leave valuables or keys in your car, make sure your house is well-lit, know and talk to your neighbours.”

Bray said neighbourhood and community watch groups are helpful when it comes to securing your property.

While crime is up year-over-year, the stats also show over the past decade, crime has dropped 23 per cent in Regina.

With files from CTV Regina's Marc Smith.

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