September’s board of police commissioners meeting brought forward its crime statistics for the month of August on Tuesday.

The report showed an increase in mental health and addictions related calls for service. Regina Police responded to 144 suicide calls in the month of August alone, an average of five per day and up 20 from the month of June.

“A suicide call for service is definitely someone who is in crisis,” said Chief Evan Bray.

The 2022 average for these types of calls is just over 118 per month, meaning August saw an increase of over 20 per cent.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CHMA) said the number of people in crisis can fluctuate based on societal pressures like cost of living, housing or food insecurity.

“Those things could create the kind of stress that would be required to see those numbers climb,” said Rebecca Rackow. “There’s a number of reasons people start having intrusive thoughts about suicide but when you look at it from the population stand point, that can be a contributing factor.”

Bray said police’s duty during a call is often to de-escalate the situation and safely remove an individual from any harm. Police will then transport the individual to hospital or any other mental health services centre to get them the proper help they need.

“Sadly, we attend some suicides where it’s not someone who is thinking about it – they’ve actually committed suicide,” said Bray. “It happens at a fairly alarming rate. I just think it speaks to some of the challenges in our community.”

SUICIDE CALLS BY MONTH (Regina Police Service)

The CMHA provides educational tools and classes for the public to learn how to help individuals in crisis.

“If you or someone you know is having a problem, the tendency is to back away,” said Rackow. “Please ask how you can help or see if they are safe. That can make all the difference.”

Other mental health crisis events, like overdose, remained high in the city.

Already in 2022, there have been 84 apparent overdose deaths, nine in August.

“On the street level, and as police chiefs across Canada, we support the notion of decriminalization,” said Bray. “Charging people [for possession of small amounts of illicit drugs] is not the solution for getting them healthy.”

AUGUST 2022 DRUG OVERDOSES - REGINA (Regina Police Service)

The report also highlighted crimes against persons are down about nine per cent compared to August 2021 while crimes against property is up about four per cent.

With 77 attempted or completed thefts of vehicles along with 487 crimes of theft under $5,000, Chief Bray said those types of crimes are headed back towards pre-pandemic levels.

CRIME STAT HIGHLIGHTS (Regina Police Service)