Many of Regina's homicides last year related to drugs or domestic conflict: police chief

Regina police have offered some insight into why the city is seeing more homicides and reported sexual assaults.

The city's Board of Police Commissioners reviewed the 2021 crime statistics on Wednesday morning. The report said reports of sexual assaults were up 70 per cent compared to 2012 — which is as far back as the report goes — while homicide numbers in Regina hit the highest level in more than a decade.

Police investigated 15 homicides last year, four more than in 2020 and eight more than in 2012.

The report said 11 of the 2021 homicides seemed to be connected with so-called risk factors such as illegal activity, drug trafficking and gang association.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray reiterated that sentiment during Wednesday's meeting, but said domestic conflict is also a key factor.

"A lot of people want to be able to point and say it's gang-related," he said, noting that sometimes it is.

"But if we peel it back even further often it falls into one of those two categories: drugs or some sort of a domestic relationship."

Bray said police have made some changes in the last few years when it comes to responding to domestic conflict.

He said they have an emphasis on "support that can be provided and ultimately digging into what the underlying social issue is that's causing the challenges."

However, to make matters more challenging, Bray said the weapons being used to commit crimes have also evolved.

He said that over the last 20 years, anecdotally, there has been a "real transition from predominantly edged weapons being used in an offence, to now more firearms being used, and that's a trend that is significantly consistent around Canada."

No firm reason on rise of reported sexual assaults

The number of sexual assaults reported in Regina has also risen significantly since 2012.

There were 207 reported sexual assaults last year, compared to 192 in 2020 and 122 in 2012.

Karen Williams, a strategic resource officer with Regina police, said at Wednesday's meeting that it's challenging to pinpoint an exact reason for the increase.

Williams said there are a couple of theories. She said statistics show that sexual assault is the most underreported crime in Canada, but in recent years there's been growing support for survivors of sexual assault to come forward.

"A possible explanation could be that discourse has led to an increase in reporting. That's a hopeful outlook," she said.

Another reason could be a rising population in Regina, according to Williams.

"An increase in population could also lead to an increase in criminal offences in our community."

The report did not include the the rate of reported sexual assaults per capita.

In recent years, Regina police have changed how they responds cases of sexual assault as a way to encourage survivors to come forward.

The changes were implemented using a system called Violence Against Women Advocate Case Review, which involved a team of people reviewing reports of sexual assault that didn't result in charges. The reviewers then spoke with RPS about their findings.

Bray said in the process police have also improved their relationship with Regina Sexual Assault Centre and Sexual Assault Services Saskatchewan.