REGINA — A survey conducted by the Regina Police Service (RPS) shows public perception of the agency remains mostly positive.
In its 2025 community perception survey, 65 to 85 per cent of respondents expressed trust and confidence in the RPS, citing professionalism, integrity and emergency response. More than 85 per cent said they would call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
“I think we're doing a lot of things right, and so we really base the way we do things on trust with the community,” said RPS Chief Lorilee Davies during the Board of Police Commissioners meeting Tuesday.
As for perceptions of safety across Regina, the survey noted they were generally positive but varied across the city.
“Residents in the South District reported the highest levels of perceived safety, while Central District residents reported lower feelings of safety and higher levels of police contact related to criminal matters,” said the report.
These differences are consistent with trends observed in previous surveys, noted Mayor Chad Bachynski.
“I think hearing the narrative, it was pretty clear that we've been relatively consistent in terms of perception.”
Residents also noted varying levels of police presence throughout the city, reporting fewer officers in the North District and a heavier presence in the Central District.
“[This reflects] localized differences in community conditions and policing activity,” said the survey.
Overall, 75 per cent of respondents indicated that police visibility in their neighbourhood had remained unchanged over the past year.
New to the survey was data regarding Alternative Response Officers, launched in the fall of 2024.
"Respondents viewed Alternative Response Officers as appropriate for lower-risk situations and as contributing positively to safety and police presence in the downtown area, while helping reduce demand on sworn officers," said the survey.
Since 2011, the University of Regina’s Department of Justice Studies has conducted the survey for RPS every two years.
The survey does not indicate how many people took part. However, it does break down the distribution of gender and ethnicity. Of those surveyed, 48.4 per cent were men, 49.9 per cent were women and 1.7 per cent identified as other.
Meanwhile, cultural identity included 73.6 per cent Caucasian, 12.6 per cent Indigenous and 12.6 per cent minority.
Looking ahead, Davies said the survey gives RPS a good idea of where to focus.
“We can build a roadmap from this.”
The results of the survey have a margin of error of 4.5 per cent, 95 times out of 100.
