The Communications Centre is a vital part of the Regina Police Service. Not only providing the public initial contact with the Police Service but also facilitating and coordinating police resources with the various needs of the public. Simply put, dispatching police officers to where they are needed based on the urgency level of the situation.
On average, there are six Communications Officers working at any given time. The Centre consists of four teams, each made up of one supervisor, one dispatcher and four call takers. Like their uniformed counterparts, Communication Officers work 12-hour rotational shifts.
Until 1986 the Communications Centre was staffed by police officers. With the increasing challenges of new technology combined with the ever higher demands for uniformed personnel on the streets, the police officers were gradually replaced by highly trained civilian Communication Officers. 1996 saw the completion of this transition and from that point forward, the Communications Centre has been staffed and managed by civilian members.
In 2016 the Regina Police Service, in conjunction with Sask911, implemented the final stage of a state of the art telephone system. This IP-based telephone system adds important technological advances to the environment. Communication Officers are now able to utilize Text-to-911 for the hearing impaired (registration required), track telephone call history and receive current location updates on cellular telephone calls. The phone system is an important component of public safety, allowing for each of the 3 PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points) to serve as a failover answering point. This means that should telephone call load exceed answer time standards in any of the locations, the system automatically routes the telephone call to the next PSAP for call processing.
For all emergency calls, dial 9-1-1. An emergency is:
- any crime that is in progress and/or where a person’s life or property is being threatened
- any incident where immediate medical attention is required
- any incident where the fire department is immediately required
For all non-emergency calls, dial 306-777-6500 and your call can be directed accordingly.
All calls, on both 9-1-1 lines and administrative lines, are recorded.
The Regina Police Service Communications Centre is one of three Public Safety Answering points in Saskatchewan. The Communications Centre answer calls for the city of Regina.
On average, the Communications Officers answer over 204,800 administrative calls, 63,200 9-1-1 calls and dispatch Police members to over 62,900 calls-for-service.