REGINA — Trained canines led to hundreds of arrests for the Regina Police Service (RPS) in 2025.
A report from the board of police commissioners' March meeting indicates 42 arrests required a suspect's apprehension with canine contact, while 173 arrests required no canine contact.
RPS Sgt. Neil Beitel said the mere presence of a dog can make suspects give up easily, including in scenarios where the individual is inside a building.
He also pointed out dogs entering a building first can help keep police out of harm's way.
The RPS currently deploys nine dogs to its canine unit, including one which can detect drugs and another in training for explosive detection.
In 2025, the canine unit attended over 4,500 calls for service. Canines are used for weapons offences, robberies, stolen vehicles, and other high-risk occurrences.
Handlers with the unit utilized their canines over 700 times related to calls for service.
Additionally, the canine unit collaborated with the SWAT team on 21 incidents.
The RPS canine unit has been around since 1972 and is the only current 24-hour specialty unit with 24-hour coverage.
Ensuring its readiness for calls, the canine unit conducts a minimum of 18 designated training days per year.
