Effective immediately, the fee for Police Information Checks, previously called Criminal Record Checks, charged by the Regina Police Service, has increased from $30.00 to $35.00. (This fee has remained unchanged since April of 2007, when the fee for Criminal Record Checks for employment purposes increased from $25.00 to $30.00.) The Regina Police Service does not charge a fee to those requesting Police Information Checks in order to perform volunteer service.
The change comes about, in part, as a response to an increase in the demand for Police Information Checks. This demand has increased significantly over a fourteen year period. For example: in 1997, the Regina Police Service did 146 volunteer Police Information Checks and 2,182 paid Police Information Checks; in 2004 there were 4,776 volunteer Police Information Checks and 6,650 paid Police Information Checks. In 2010, the Regina Police Service did 5,399 volunteer Police Information Checks and 11,047 paid Police Information Checks. In recent years, the Regina Police Service has assigned additional personnel to handle the workload and renovated a reception area on the second floor to accommodate the increased traffic and improve customer service.
Even with the current increase to $35.00, the Regina Police Service fee compares favorably with that of other municipal police services. Regina’s fee matches that of the Saskatoon Police Service: $35.00 for Police Information Checks, with no charge to volunteers. In comparison, the Vancouver Police Department charges $67.00 for Police Information Checks. Police Services in both Edmonton and Calgary charge only $30.00 for Police Information Checks, but also charge for volunteer checks ($10.00 in Edmonton and $15.00 in Calgary). In Winnipeg the fee structure is $50.00 for Police Information Checks and $30.00 for volunteer checks.
Anyone requesting a Police Information Check for employment or volunteer work must attend the Regina Police Service Headquarters building (1717 Osler Street), in person, with two pieces of government-issued identification. At least one piece of I-D must have the individual’s photograph. The hours of operations are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday (closed weekend and holidays). Police Information Checks will not be processed for anyone under the age of eighteen.
