REGINA — Regina’s downtown has seen an increase in police presence in the past year, with the introduction of the new Alternative Response Officers (AROs) last October and a new hub for the Regina Police Service (RPS) inside the Cornwall Centre.
With the increased police presence, are businesses starting to notice a positive change downtown?
Destiny Slobodian, owner of The Bone and Broth Kitchen, feels she’s seen a slight positive change.
“I do think that it has had a positive outcome to some degree, whether it has increased people's shopping experience while walking around downtown.”
Slobodian opened her restaurant downtown three years ago and has dealt with numerous vandalism and break-ins.
“[We’ve had] people breaking into our bathrooms because they're outside of our establishment, just for sleeping, for warmth, for different reasons like that.”
The situation had gotten so bad, staff members went in tandem to the washroom.
Slobodian said recent security changes have prevented anyone from breaking into her restaurant's bathroom. However, the issue of loitering and people hanging around the business continues.
Despite this, she feels it hasn’t impacted any of her sales.
As for other downtown store owners, Chad Boudreau, owner of Comic Readers, feels the increased police presence is overall good.
“It's good for what is happening outside, whether that's practically helping people, helping people that are in need, or just their presence alone making people feel safer so they come downtown.”
Boudreau couldn’t say if the police presence is creating a positive impact on business, as his store has been dealing with three years of construction from the 11th Avenue Revitalization Project.
As for theft, Boudreau had dealt with multiple smashed windows before the additional police presence downtown.
Since then, Boudreau hasn’t faced any vandalism, which he credited to better lighting and more police presence.
However, Boudreau said more police doesn’t fix the underlying issues causing crime.
“We need programs in place to save those that have fallen through the cracks. And we need policies and programs in place to prevent people from falling through the cracks.”
Boudreau voiced his frustration with the province for its lack of action in addressing homelessness and drug addiction issues.
“If we have an overall plan in the province to help people who are in need, then maybe downtown will really bounce back like it was a decade or so ago.”
As for Slobodian, she stressed that more housing is needed for those in need.
“I don't think that making things pretty and more vibrant is going to fix that problem without doing the other work as well.”
