CENTRAL OPERATIONS SECTION OVERVIEW
The Central Operations Section (COS) falls under the Regina Police Service (RPS) Community Services Division (CSD). Central Operations is overseen by an Inspector and a Staff Sergeant.
COS provides specialized police support units within the Service. COS is made up of police members and civilian employees who are assigned to the Section in both full and part-time capacities. Full time assignments within the Section are in the Canine Unit, Central Services, Communication Centre & 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), and within the Detention Facility. Full-time positions also include an Emergency Services Sergeant, six Victim Services Responders (plus volunteers), and other support personnel throughout the Section. In addition to performing their regular duties elsewhere within the Service, police members serving on emergency services teams work within the Section on a part-time and ‘as needed’ basis. The Section further relies upon contracted Commissionaires for building attendants, operational support, and process service positions.
In 2018 the Section operated within nine significant support areas with approximately 190 full and part-time assigned members and employees. This does not include the contracted positions and volunteers. Those areas included:
- Special Event Planning & Operational Deployments (Integrated VIP security details and special duty policing for sporting, traffic and other events);
- Canine Unit;
- Central Services (Inquiry Desk, Court Liaison, Court Scheduling, Alternative Measures Program Coordinator);
- Commissionaires (contracted process servers, building attendants and operational support personnel);
- Communication Centre and 9-1-1 PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point – providing police, EMS, and fire call taking, answer and transfer services; including the ability to operate as a secondary provincial dispatch centre to support other communication centres within Saskatchewan);
- Detention Facility (offender processing, lodging and transfers);
- Emergency Services Section
- SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics)
- CNT (Crisis Negotiation Team)
- EDU (Explosive Disposal Unit)
- CCU (Crowd Control Unit)
- UIRT (Underwater Investigative Recovery Team
- Emergency Preparedness Planning;
- Victim Services.
CENTRAL SERVICES
INQUIRY DESK
In 2018 the Inquiry Desk in the RPS headquarters building served an average of 345 persons per week or 1,494 people per month. This includes: walk-in reports, complaints, inquiries, offender reporting, collision reporting, investigative follow-up, telephone inquiries and warrant executions.
In 2018, oversight at the Inquiry Desk included a Sergeant and Corporal. During each shift, three officers, including the supervising Corporal, are on duty. The average wait time for a customer is estimated to be about ten minutes.
In 2018 a total of 17,931 people attended the Inquiry Desk. The Inquiry Desk also received 7,430 phone calls from the public. Lastly, the Inquiry Desk staff executed 659 warrants.
COURT LIAISON OFFICER
The RPS Court Liaison Officer (CLO) is a Corporal position. The CLO works out of the Provincial Court House at 1815 Smith Street. The CLO fields enquiries from lawyers, other
police officers, and members of the judiciary, and disseminates information to Prosecutors as required. The CLO works closely with Court Services as well by managing, distributing and ensuring judicial documents are completed and tracked. The CLO responds to prosecutor requests and ensures appropriate procedures are followed when property is seized or detained in court.
REGINA ALTERNATIVE MEASURES PROGRAM (RAMP) AND COURT SCHEDULING COORDINATOR
Alternative measures and extra judicial sanctions are legislated within the Criminal Code while the Program is administered provincially by the Ministry of Justice through the Community Justice Division. The RPS plays a key role in the process. Under set circumstances, police officers have the ability to divert pre-charge cases to the RAMP once eligibility criteria can be established. RPS officers can also approve trained Loss Prevention partners to utilize the precharge RAMP option as well.
The RPS has a Corporal assigned as the RAMP coordinator. In 2018, we provided Alternative Measures training to officers at the Saskatchewan Police College twice. We also reviewed all RAMP program referrals and confirmed that certain eligibility criteria had been established.
Where the criteria for RAMP had not been met, files were returned for charges to be laid, or a warrant requested. In addition to administering the police role within the Program, the Corporal coordinates the attendance of police members to RAMP. In 2018, RPS officers attended.
Alternative Measures Circles, mediations, forums or conferences on approximately 49 occasions; with the Corporal attending 21 times.
As part of administering the police role, the Corporal provides training at the “Stop-lift” program. Ten “Stop-Lift” presentations were facilitated in 2018, with approximately 10-15 candidates in the RAMP program each session. The Corporal also works closely with the Loss Prevention Officers (LPO) throughout the city. LPO training sessions are conducted each year, along with meetings with them as a group on a regular basis, and maintaining daily contact with many LPO’s. The Corporal also maintains a connection between the LPO’s and the Property Crimes Unit and the newly created On-Line Stolen Property Unit as required. In addition, our officer reviews, investigates, or assigns all of the on-line shoplifting complaints that RPS receives.
The Corporal works closely with the Central Operations Administrative Assistant. A large portion of the Administrative Assistant’s duties are to manage officer’s court attendance and related overtime. We work closely with Public Prosecutions to efficiently coordinate the scheduling of police officers attending court and canceling those not required. In 2018, RPS members attended Court (Provincial, Queen’s Bench, Drug, Traffic Safety and Youth) for a total of 5769 hours.
CORPS OF COMMISSIONAIRES
The Corps of Commissionaires provide an invaluable service to our members and the citizens of Regina. Commissionaires mainly work in two areas of our building; the front desk and the equipment room. Outside of the building, the Corps also serves court documents and provides a messenger service on behalf of the Regina Police Service. In 2018 the Corps served a total of 1,853 subpoenas.
COMMUNICATIONS CENTRE
The RPS Communications Centre is the Service’s vital link to providing public safety within the City and throughout the Province. The Communications Centre serves as an initial public communication access point and is staffed by civilian Communications Officers (CO).
The CO’s support, prioritize and coordinate the deployment of police resources in our community. The Communications Centre also serves as a 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) providing police, EMS, and fire call taking, answering and transfer services. The Communications Centre can also operate as a secondary provincial dispatch centre to support other communications centres within Saskatchewan.
In 2018, the Communications Centre continued to face many challenges, mainly due to a staffing shortage. Presently the Communications Centre is authorized for eight permanent CO’s per shift, working 12-hour shift rotations on one of the four assigned patrol shifts. The Centre is also staffed by a Communications Manager, Communications Administrator, an Alarm Coordinator / Switchboard Operator, a Quality Assurance and Training Coordinator, Communications System Business Analyst, Radio Coordinator, and two Communications Technologists. In addition to all the positions within the Centre, casual CO’s are also employed in the Centre. Although we are authorized to carry several part-time casual positions, it has been difficult to hire and train enough casual employees to adequately cover for maternity leaves and other long-term absences for permanent employees. In 2018 there were five of these absences to fill. In September 2018, seven casual CO’s were hired. Five of these new hires have proceeded successfully through the training program, and are working independently. At the end of 2018, the complement of casual CO’s was five with the five others close to completion.
In 2018 the Regina Police Service started work on an upgrade to our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system which was provided to the Communications Centre and to Patrol Officers in early 2019. This upgrade introduces person-level tracking, a new component to officer safety that allows dispatchers to know the location of officers via their portable radios.
In 2018, there were 7,421 Priority 1 calls. Only 133 of those did not meet dispatch / arrival time standards, which translates to a 98% success rate. Priority calls were down from 2017; however the success rate of 98% remained the same.
Our Communications Centre fielded 64,609 calls for service in 2018, up from 62,075 in 2017. They answered 165,101 calls to the police administration line and 74,570 calls to 9-1-1. This was an increase of almost 5,000 calls in each category; from 160,374 and 69,794 respectively in 2017.
DETENTION
The Detention Unit hours of work follow the 4 Shift 12-hour rotations. Each Shift has a Sergeant, a Corporal and a Special Constable who oversee the Detention Facility. In 2018 Detention staff lodged and processed 8,738 offenders. The following is breakdown of the demographics of these offenders:
Total Prisoner | 8738 |
Female Prisoners | 2587 |
Male Prisoners | 6151 |
Adult Prisoners | 7946 |
Youth Prisoners | 792 |
Intoxicated-Detention | 1519 |
Brief Detox Unit | 32 |
Where possible, persons suffering with addictions issues were either left in the care of a responsible person or taken to the Saskatchewan Health Region’s Brief Detox Unit. However, on many occasions, this alternative detox unit was full and unavailable. In some cases, the intoxicated arrestee was not eligible for lodging there. In 2018, there was a total of 1,519 intoxicated persons arrested and lodged in in RPS cells.
In 2018, there were no serious injuries or deaths in the RPS Cellblock. Detention did however, deal with many persons who attempted to commit self-harm while in the facility. Our members through diligent safety practices were able to intervene on all occasions.
Total Prisoner | 8738 |
Female Prisoners | 2587 |
Male Prisoners | 6151 |
Adult Prisoners | 7946 |
Youth Prisoners | 792 |
Intoxicated-Detention | 1519 |
Brief Detox Unit | 32 |
Where possible, persons suffering with addictions issues were either left in the care of a responsible person or taken to the Saskatchewan Health Region’s Brief Detox Unit. However, on many occasions, this alternative detox unit was full and unavailable. In some cases, the intoxicated arrestee was not eligible for lodging there. In 2018, there was a total of 1,519 intoxicated persons arrested and lodged in in RPS cells.
In 2018, there were no serious injuries or deaths in the RPS Cellblock. Detention did however, deal with many persons who attempted to commit self-harm while in the facility. Our members through diligent safety practices were able to intervene on all occasions.
CENTRAL OPERATIONS EMERGENCY SERVICES SECTION
CANINE SECTION
The RPS Canine Section’s authorized strength is 6 handlers including a Supervisor and Training Coordinator. Some handlers use more than one dog while on duty as some dogs are kept as Drug Detection Dogs when they are no longer able to function as General Purpose Dogs.
The RPS Canine Section had at any one time between 7 and 11 canines assigned to it over the course of 2018. Seven canines were General Service trained, two canines were single purpose Drug Detection Dogs and two were cross trained in General Service with a Drug Detection specialty. The Section had a difficult year as they lost three dogs due to death, retirement and medical issues. The Section also had a number of other medical issues arise in 3 other canines, but was able to rehabilitate them through use of a new canine physio-therapy specialist operating in Regina. One canine even received stem cell therapy at the U of S. Use of these therapies has recovered three canines to active service, which in past years, almost surely would have forced the canine to be retired medically at a much greater expense to the Service.
The Canine Section provides canine support services to other patrol officers while responding to a variety of calls for service. The following is a breakdown of the stats for the Canine Unit in 2018:
Calls for Service | 4255 |
Handler Arrests | 129 |
Dog Arrests | 241 (27 included a Use of Force) |
Total Arrests | 370 |
Public Demonstrations | 37 plus Cops for Kids & RPS Showcase |
The Canine Section trained a total of 18 days, including two 5 day weeks, and 8 individual days. This did not include the extensive training period of approximately 5 months to train the new handler / dog teams.
SPECIAL WEAPONS AND TACTICS (SWAT)
In 2018, SWAT submitted a proposal to increase its authorized strength to 24 members. The request was based on the increasing number of calls for service and the evolution of tactics. The proposal was approved on an interim basis. Five new members were added to the team in May of 2018 to achieve this number.
In 2018 approval was granted for the purchase of a tactical rescue vehicle (TRV). The TRV, now referred to as Rescue, 1 was delivered in January 2019.
The team is required by policy to qualify on their weapons every month. Specialty Units within SWAT are also mandated to stay qualified on a yearly basis. The entire team trained 28 days in 2018. The Sniper Team trained for an additional eight days while the Rappel Team had an additional 4 days of training. This has remained consistent over the past several years.
SWAT had a total of 27 deployments in 2018, down from 31 deployments in 2017, and up from 2016, which saw the team deployed 22 times.
CRISIS NEGOTIATION TEAM (CNT)
The Crisis Negotiators team responds to many calls for service. Often members who are on duty are asked to assist with those calls for service involving people in crisis. They are also required to attend all calls involving SWAT with the exception of some calls involving Warrant executions. The members of CNT attended to 20 calls in 2018. They participated in 11 training days including 5 days while hosting the 2018 Upper Red River Conference and Competition in Regina for the second straight year.
2018 saw the addition of 2 new members to CNT due to the retirement or promotion of two experienced team members. This brought the team back up to the authorized strength of 8 members.
EXPLOSIVE DISPOSAL UNIT (EDU)
The Explosive Disposal Unit is called to incidents involving suspicious packages, Military ordinance, suspicious substances, and hazardous materials. They are often called out in conjunction with other Emergency Services teams as they have the capability to deploy their robots to assist SWAT in the delivery of items such as food, telephones, etc. or to even search structures prior to entry.
EDU has 6 part time members who have all taken their training through the Canadian Police College. The EDU team participated in 18 training days and was deployed 20 times in 2018. This doubled 2017’s deployments, which was 10. Three of the calls for service involved a call-out, while others simply utilized the members on duty at the time.
CROWD CONTROL UNIT (CCU)
In 2018 the CCU team continued to provide security and crowd management for the Saskatchewan Roughriders at all home games. CCU was deployed for 11 games in 2018
including regular, exhibition and the lone playoff game. Over the course of the 11 games a total of 3 arrests were made, which required transport to Detention. An additional 3 individuals were transported away from the stadium via taxi voucher.
The only other notable event that CCU attended was the Eagles Concert, which was held in Mosaic Stadium on Thursday, May 17, 2018. The concert was part of the opening ceremonies for the 2018 Memorial Cup. The crowd was mostly well behaved, largely due to poor weather conditions as it was cold and rainy; however, CCU still made 3 arrests requiring transport to Detention.
The CCU team also participated in 8 party patrol initiatives, providing resources to the front line during the busiest weekends of the year. Of the 8 Party Patrols the Unit attended to a total of 67 Calls For Service (CFS), or an average of 8.4 CFS per deployment. This was up slightly from 2017 (6.75 CFS).
Annual Training for the entire team was conducted on May 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, 2018. The format remained the same in that each member was provided with 2 full days of training and the new members to the Team were provided with the entire five days of training.
The make-up of the team is 6 Sergeant, 3 Corporals and 55 Constables. The NCO group also had one additional training day on April 18th to plan the Unit’s activities for the year.
UNDERWATER INVESTIGATIVE RECOVERY TEAM (UIRT)
The UIRT team is mandated to attend all calls for service requiring the collection of evidence or persons for water related calls. They are equipped to do so in all types of weather including diving under the ice if necessary. They are not a rescue Unit. UIRT consists of 7 members. UIRT participated in 20 days of training in 2018. An additional 10 days of training were required to complete the training of the team’s newest member. The UIRT team was not utilized for any calls for service in 2018.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
The Sgt. i/c of Emergency Services provides oversight for the daily operations of all Emergency Services Teams coordinates their training and manages all related budgets. In 2018 Emergency Services personnel participated in numerous initiatives, training scenarios and meetings in regards to emergency planning and preparedness as outlined in the following;
- Regular attendance at Rider Security meetings during 2018 season refining plans for traffic control and CCU roles at games.
- Attended regular Area 6 meetings.
- Attended Saskatchewan Emergency Planning Association (SEPA) Conference.
- Worked with City of Regina staff in regards to issues affecting our Service.
- Emergency Planning Committee involving EMS, RFD, RQHR, the City and RPS.
- Organized each of the quarterly Emergency Services Training Scenario days.
- RPS representative on the Notify Now Committee.
VIP DETAIL
The RPS currently has five officers trained in VIP security. These members have been trained specifically in the proper procedures and protocols of providing oversight to high level dignitaries that visit Regina. In most instances, the lead security details are organized by the RCMP and the RPS provides resources at the RCMP’s request. In 2018, the RPS participated in 3 VIP visits.
SPECIAL DUTY
During this reporting period, RPS members were provided with numerous opportunities to participate in special duty during their time off. There are certain events that take place in the city of Regina that require permits and special licensing, a prerequisite, in many cases, are that the event organizers must have police oversight and security in order to receive the permit. This is to allow for events to take place with the safety of Regina citizens in mind. The following is a list of all special duty in 2018:
Bank Moves | Queen City Exhibition |
Canadian Western Agribition | Queen City Marathon |
Costco Grand Opening | Regina Folk Festival |
Eagles Concert | Regina Yard Clean-up/ Waste Day |
Farm Progress Show | Rogers Home Town Hockey |
Golf – Women’s Open 2018 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
Kevin Hart | Sikh Parade |
Memorial Cup | Traffic Projects |
Over Dimensional Moves | |
Praise in the Park |
VICTIM SERVICES UNIT
The Victim Services Unit (VSU) is made up of six full-time staff members. This includes: one Coordinator, two Indigenous Resource Officers, one Missing Person Liaison, one Children’s Justice Centre (RCJC) Victim Services Responder and one Administrative Assistant. The Unit is supplemented by up to sixteen Volunteer Support Workers who are community members that work one shift per week, for approximately four hours.
The primary responsibility of Victim Services is to provide emotional support, practical information and referrals to community resources for longer term assistance. These services are provided to various victims / witnesses of crime or to people who have experienced a distressing / traumatic event. Services are provided shortly after the event occurs and continue until the criminal justice process has been completed or the person determines that services are no longer required. By feeling respected, the timely, consistent, long-term response will ensure the likelihood of healthier coping skills that ultimately leads to healthier individuals for our community in the future.
Services that people receive are varied. They range from providing written information on trauma, self-care, personal safety and crime prevention tips. They can include ongoing telephone contact, explanations of investigative or court processes, assistance with forms for victim impact statements, victims compensation, restitution, alternative measures programs, Parole Board information, regular court updates, court accompaniments, registrations for court preparation class or the specialized court service for vulnerable witnesses, and assistance with property returns. These are examples of the many services offered. Ultimately, what is required can be as unique as the individuals they are serving.
In 2018, the Victim Services Unit opened a total of 1,335 files, resulting in 7,259 personal contacts and 178 court accompaniments. There were a total of 816.25 Volunteer Support Worker hours provided over the course of the year. Whether services are provided through face-to-face contact or by telephone, postal service, email, or texting, the VSU is firmly established to assist the Regina Police Service in delivering a helpful response to its citizens.