REGINA — A report of Regina’s monthly crime statistics analyzed for May show a decrease in the majority of crime categories, compared to the same month last year.
In presenting the report to the Regina Police Board of Commissioners on June 28, Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said that the police members responded to an overall decrease in crime calls throughout the month.
Crimes against property and person showed an overall year-to-date decrease of 12.9 per cent, compared to this time last year.
“There were 57 less incidents from last year, and that’s 57 less serious victimizations when we’re talking about crimes against the person,” said Bray.
Several other categories showed a decrease from statistics reported for May 2020, including a 31.5 per cent decrease in sex crimes and a 21.1 per cent decrease in robberies.
Thefts of auto increased by 13 incidents, or 3 per cent, and arson saw a significant increase of 48.7 per cent following a number of recent incidents.
“Arson numbers aren’t usually large numbers, but we did have a rash of them. We’ve already laid some charges to hold some offenders accountable for that increase,” said Bray.
Traffic tickets issued totaled 7,325 for year-to-date, an increase of 41.9 per cent over the 5,161 recorded by this time last year.
Drug-related incidents also decreased compared to last May, by a total of 34.4 per cent.
Reported overdoses in the city have reached 648 incidents this year, with police attending 127 and successfully administering NARCAN at 13 calls.
“We have supported a couple of urgent need public health sites in the city, and two of them have been granted that status and are up and running, working on harm reduction,” said Bray.
Bray also noted that the provincial drug task force will be starting a community outreach and consultation process later this summer, to seek insight from individuals affected by addiction and drug use to better support individuals in need.
