Open Letter to Community Concern Group

and Regina Public

May 20, 2015

To the Concerned Citizens who delivered a List of Community Concerns and the citizens of

Regina:

On March 15, 2015, your group delivered a list of concerns to the Regina Police Service. Our

repeated invitations to meet with you, the organizers of the March 15th rally, have gone

unacknowledged. Since the concerns were raised in a very public manner, we cannot leave the

public with an impression that the Regina Police Service is indifferent to your groups concerns. We want to hear your suggestions and have meaningful dialogue to collaborate on solutions but you will not meet with us. The result is this open letter to the Community Concern group and

all citizens of Regina.

In examining each of the issues on the Community Concerns list, it occurred to us that perhaps

members of the group and the general public may not be aware of our past and current efforts in

the areas specified. To that end, we have compiled the attached document which lists and

explains these initiatives. We know this is not the complete answer; we know there is always

more we can do to connect with all members of our community in a meaningful and respectful

way. We continue to strive to improve our communication with the public about what we do and

why.

We acknowledge there are individuals in our community who are dissatisfied with police. We

would not presume to argue with the individual experiences and feelings of another person.

However, we also know these negative experiences make up a very small percentage of the total

number of interactions we have with the public each year. That is not to say they are

insignificant, but they are not indicative of the overall quality of policing delivered to the citizens

of Regina by this Police Service. Although we know the Service has strong support in this

community, we continue to commit to further improvement.

The Regina Police Service is accountable to those we serve. We are governed by the Regina

Board of Police Commissioners and subject to its oversight as well as that of the Saskatchewan

Police Commission and the Ministry of Justice, Corrections and Policing. When there is a public

complaint about the conduct of our officers there is a robust process of accountability enacted

through the Public Complaints Commission. In instances where we have made mistakes, we

accept the decisions and guidance of the oversight bodies. We address identified gaps in training

or mete out discipline as required.

As a Police Service, we have the duty and responsibility to help people live in safety. We

recognize we cannot do this work alone. Our vision reflects this: Working Together to Keep

Regina Safe. Our role is not comprised of a simple task, but rather a complex array of activities

and actions, including both pro-active and reactive measures. It is work which puts our frontline

officers and investigators in face-to-face contact with members of the public, hundreds of

thousands of times in a year. These interactions may not always be ideal because of the complex

situations to which police are asked to respond. All of us; whether victims, witnesses, suspects,

police or bystanders; have roles to play in personal accountability as participants in the safety of

our community.

We acknowledge effective policing often involves conflict, especially when our response

necessitates the arrests of those who have broken the law or who are not willing to be held

accountable for their actions. We do not apologize for acting within our authority to maintain

public order and ensure our communitys safety and well-being. We have a duty to victims of crime and our society to diligently pursue investigations and, where appropriate, to lay criminal

charges. We work in partnership with social agencies, justice, corrections, government and non-

governmental organizations, academics and community members to keep Regina safe.

In closing, we urge you to read the attached document to learn more about the work being done

by your Police Service. We invite you to learn more by engaging with us through our website

and social media pages, or attending programs like Citizens Police Academy. We remain open to constructive dialogue and will continue to work toward building a better, safer community for

all.

Sincerely,

Chief Troy Hagen,

Regina Police Service.