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REGINA — With nearly three decades of service behind her and a turbulent year for the Regina Police Service, Lorilee Davies is stepping into the top job with a renewed focus on stability, safety and community trust.
Davies was appointed as the RPS’s chief in early December. She sat down with SaskToday in December to discuss her promotion and the challenges the police service faced in the past year.
Becoming chief
After 29 years as a member of the RPS, Davies was named the Chief on Dec. 4.
Davies described the days after the announcement as “overwhelming” from the amount of support received.
“[Just] how many people have reached out to me, like co-workers in the community across the country. I don't think I've actually caught up on all of the emails yet, but it's been overwhelming. I'm obviously very grateful,” she said.
Davies hopes the support has shown she's treated people with fairness and respect over the years.
For most of her career, Davies admitted she didn't believe the role was attainable.
“When Evan Bray became the chief, then we had worked closely together throughout our career, and I thought, ‘well, Geez, if he could do this, he's doing a great job, maybe someday I could do.”
While Davies believed she could become the chief, this was never her main focus.
"[For me], it was just about working hard, doing a good job. Sometimes when you do that, the promotions work their way up.”
She replaced former Chief Farooq Sheikh, who was fired in late October after the Saskatchewan Public Complaints Commission found he had exchanged inappropriate private communications with a former member of the board of police commissioners.
Sheikh had been on leave since April 2025 while the investigation remained ongoing. During that time, Davies served as acting chief.
Davies admitted this period created uncertainty for the RPS.
“We didn't know what the future holds or what's in store.”
Increased downtown police presence
Over the past year, the RPS has created a bigger presence downtown.
In Oct. 2024, the RPS deployed the alternative response officers (AROs). The officers' roles are to provide a presence downtown while engaging those in need and providing support.
Davies said the RPS has heard positive feedback from business owners, residents and people visiting downtown.
“They feel the increased presence, [and] they feel safer. They feel like maybe some of the issues have been addressed. And so, that's great," she said.
“When our downtown is thriving, that impacts the rest of our community as well.”
In a year, the AROs have attended over 1,800 calls for service, given 595 warnings and transported over 250 people to the complex needs shelters.
Davies also described how the AROs have benefited the overall force.
“The downtown safety team (DST) handles all of that. So, it's been possible for us to focus on the areas that we're assigned, and be proactive, conduct traffic enforcement, etc."
The DST is now operating from a new hub inside the Cornwall Centre.
As for the AROs, Davies said they’re currently looking to add more to the current 11 members.
Arsons
The RPS continues to see an increase in arsons, Davies said. In their November monthly crime report, the police service reported 509 arsons from January through end of October, up roughly six per cent from the same time last year.
Notably, half of those arson cases (293) are from bin fires.
Davies said the RPS is working with the City of Regina to examine other ways for garbage removal.
“If you take away the opportunity, then there's going to be a decrease in the amount of arsons that we have. That's one piece of it.”
Davies also said the arson investigators are trying to be diligent and hold people accountable.
For 2026, Davies said the RPS is looking at how arson cases are classified.
“If somebody starts a fire because they're trying to keep warm, is that arson? So, we're digging into that. We're looking to see what other police services do across the country in terms of their statistical collection of information.”
Recent overdoses
Regina has seen a surge in overdoses recently. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health said between Nov. 28 and Dec. 4, Regina Fire and Protective Services were called to a suspected 47 overdoses.
Davies called investigating overdoses a tricky situation.
“We ask our frontline members to figure out maybe where the supply came from or if there are any ties between those calls for service. But as you can imagine, people aren't necessarily gonna be forthcoming with that information.”
Davies mentioned that other jurisdictions in Canada have started laying charges against people passing narcotics when a person has died from an overdose.
“We haven't had any instances that we've had the evidence to be able to support that kind of charge as of yet.”
Overall, the RPS has reported a decrease in overdoses from January to October, 2025, with 65 compared to 104 during the same time span last year.
Community ON progress
In March, the RPS launched the “Community ON: Neighbourhood Watch Reimagined,” designed to enhance community safety.
The first part of the program was a pilot project in partnership with the Arcola East Community Association for Ward 4 residents.
Residents would be provided with information about regular crime trends in the area, along with crime tips.
Davies said the RPS will reflect in 2026 on the pilot project.
“We're going to be looking to say, okay, what did we learn from this? Are there other ways that we can engage? What can we improve upon? Because we know the more timely information we can get to people in the community about whether it's a particular crime trend or whatever, they can keep themselves safe.”
As part of Community ON, the RPS also introduced a Safe Neighbourhood Camera Registry (SNCR).
A person can voluntarily sign up their cameras with the RPS, so the police agency is aware of cameras in an area for an investigation.
“We're still getting new businesses and residents signing up. So that's great. It's a good way for people to be engaged in their community's safety,” said Davies.
Davies said the RPS has likely solved dozens of cases faster with SNCR, but couldn’t give any exact stats.
Looking ahead
One item Davies wants to focus on for 2026 is emotional resiliency training.
This item will be considered in the RPS 2026 budget for city council.
Davies emphasized mental health training as officers experience a higher rate of PTSD compared to a general community member.
“If you're not feeling your best, you can't provide quality service to the community.
“We [also] want them to go home to their families, not broken, but in a way that they can be happy and lead fulfilling lives outside of work.”
Davies also mentioned the RPS’s four-year strategic plan ends in 2026, and consultation with stakeholders and community members will help guide the RPS going forward.
