Violent crimes and thefts are fueling a 10 year high for crime in Regina for the mid-way point of the year, according to the Regina Police Service.

Police released crime statistics on Thursday morning, showing that total crime in the city as of June 2019 is up 16.5 per cent from this time last year with 11,186 crimes since the start of the year.

Some of the rise can be attributed to a 360 per cent spike in attempted murders, up from five last year to 23 in 2019.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said the rise in attempted murders and other violent crimes is being aided by an increase in the use of firearms.

“Guns are basically a tool that’s being used when it comes to gangs or those that are dealing with addictions in our community,” said Bray. “When I started policing which was 24 years ago we often saw a lot of knives and edged weapons in our community.”

Although attempts are up, homicides have stayed around the 10 year average at five in 2019.

At the North Central Family Centre kids are encouraged to stay active in the community. That can be tough with crime becoming more prevalent in the city, attendees say.

"It's kind of scary because when I’m walking down the street I have to be careful of where I’m walking and like be careful of what I’m wearing,” said Noah Browne, who attends the North Central Family Centre.

Property crime and thefts are also at a 10 year high with 794 and 3,522 crimes respectively reported this year.

Bray added that many thefts in Regina are opportunistic, and reminded people to lock their car doors and keep valuables out of sight.

The city did see some drops compared to the 2018 midyear report, including lower numbers for sexual assaults, other sexual crimes and most types of assaults.