Regina police have added COVID-19 element to dealing with city crime

Along with all the normal law enforcement the Regina Police Service does, it’s now dealing with policing provincial restrictions put in place due to COVID-19.

Chief Evan Bray said the police are seeing a decrease in home break-ins while more businesses are being targeted since the province put in its restrictions.

“(It’s) even things like people reporting suspicious people or disturbances. There are things that maybe normally happen at 2 in the afternoon but people aren’t home to see them and now they are,” Bray told Gormley on Thursday.

With school and other events cancelled, Bray said the Regina Police Service has redeployed most of its school resource officers, community engagement unit and cultural diversity section to the front lines.

Bray said the fact COVID-19 is out there and is a pandemic hasn’t changed how busy police are.

“We are still continuing to have some serious problems in terms of community safety and one of which that I’ll highlight for you is overdoses,” Bray said. “We still have stabbings and gun calls and all those other challenges that are happening.”

There have been more than 150 overdoses in Regina since the start of 2020.

Bray said the fact COVID-19 is in the community adds a different layer to what could already be a dangerous assignment, like a gun call.

Along with their usual types of calls, police are now helping to enforce public health acts that restrict the size of gatherings to no more than 10 people. As well, city and school playgrounds have been shut down.

Bray said the warm weather Regina saw this past weekend made things challenging when it came to enforcing those restrictions.

“We were getting tons of calls about kids in the park, kids playing soccer, playing football, groups of kids on bikes — sometimes 20, 30, 40 kids,” Bray said. “Those are real tough because in some cases those are 14-year-old kids. At that time, we’re sending officers out to tell them to disperse.

“Sometimes we have parents there who say, ‘Yes, my child told me they were going for a bike ride. I didn’t realize they were getting together with 30 other kids in the neighbourhood.’ “

Bray said police haven’t had a lot of calls about house parties but are getting calls about groups from many people.

A new hotline — 1-855-559-5502 — has been set up for people to call to report anyone who appears to be violating the provincial restrictions. The phone number will be answered by public health officials, who will take the lead on enforcement, and police will assist them.

Bray said all officers have been outfitted with a kit that has surgical masks, gloves and a uniform covering to help them stay safe.

Bray said personal protective equipment isn’t new to them since they respond to a variety of calls which can cause police to come in contact with a sick individual or bodily fluids.

Officers also have taken time to salute the city’s health-care workers, taking part in what was called the Parade of Lights on Wednesday evening.

Honoured to show our support tonight to all @SaskHealth workers at the Pasqua and General hospitals in Regina. Your dedicated work on the front-line does not go unnoticed.

From us, to you. THANK YOU for all you do. #EssentialWorkers #InItTogether #YQR #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/VTbJ6Qfhuk

— Regina Police (@reginapolice) April 2, 2020