Gangs, drugs, guns push city to top of crime index

Regina’s rate of severe offences leads nation, is highest since 2010

For the third time in the past five years, Regina has topped Statistics Canada’s crime severity index (CSI).

The stats released on Monday showed Regina’s CSI to be the highest in Canada at 125.8. This is the highest it’s been since 2010 when it reached 133.18. Saskatoon was right behind Regina in CSI at 117.8.

The numbers were not news to Regina’s chief of police, Evan Bray.

“2016 was a tough year for us,” said Bray.

Bray gave four reasons what is driving crime in Regina: firearms, drugs, gang activity and street crime.

Throughout 2016, Bray said police were aware crime in Regina was heating up. Police responded by putting together strategies and partnerships with the community to combat the trend.

The CSI accounts for the seriousness of crime by weighing crime types based on conviction rates and lengths of sentences. Therefore, a homicide has a greater effect on a city’s CSI than a single theft. But according to Bray, there have been so many thefts that they’ve been adding up, with seven-eighths of Regina’s CSI being made up of property crimes.

To combat that, Bray said police need residents to do their part and stay vigilant. Something he said may be challenging for a city with a lot of rural roots.

“If I accuse the residents of Regina of anything, it’s being too trusting,” said Bray.

As for the job police are doing, Regina’s clearance rate for crimes was 39.09, down 7.5 per cent overall. Saskatoon’s clearance rate was 36, Winnipeg ’s 35, Calgary’s 27 and Edmonton’s 39.06. Each of those cities also saw a decline in clearance rates.

Despite boasting moments earlier that Regina’s clearance rate was higher than all other comparable police forces west of Thunder Bay, Bray was at first hesitant to react to the downturn.

“I don’t have an answer for that. I’m not sure of the actual clearance rates,” said Bray.

When pressed further, Bray said the change could have a correlation with the volume of crimes that police are investigating. Police later noted that clearance rates are adjusted from year to year so the 2015 clearance rate is higher that it was at this time last year as some of those crimes have since been solved.

Bray also pointed to “loopholes” in the justice system as a possible cause.

“I think we all know there’s enough loopholes in the criminal justice system that getting out of a charge or getting a charge pled down, unfortunately, becomes the norm, and yet we’re not seeing that happen especially in high profile cases but on day to day basis as well,” said Bray.

Mayor Michael Fougere acknowledged the increase, but also wanted to highlight the city’s long-term numbers. Regina’s CSI is down 36 per cent compared to 2006.

“I’m not making excuses here because we have that ranking, but we also have a safe city, and I think people believe that and know that. I know that to be true, but we have work to do, no question about that,” said Fougere.

Because of the proactive strategies police have been taking, Bray is hopeful that 2017’s CSI numbers will trend the other way.

“I think there’s some real positive work that has been done over the last year in reaction to what we saw happening in 2016,” said Bray.

Saskatchewan topped all of the provinces with its CSI rising nine per cent to 148.8. The RCMP said this was mostly driven by homicides, while otherwise the level of violent crime remained mostly unchanged. The RCMP said the province saw 35 homicides in 2016, compared to 25 in 2015.

Property crime in the province was up two per cent, but the RCMP said this was due to a surge in the first half of the year. The RCMP said it began decreasing in August of last year, and has carried through into 2017.