Regina Police Service

Regina Police Service, formed in 1892, is the municipal police force for the City of Regina, Saskatchewan.

During the late 1890s, Regina was capital of the Northwest Territories, though not more than a collection of frame buildings and tents. In 1891 some residents lobbied the Town Council to appoint an individual to maintain sanitation laws and help keep livestock from roaming the streets. By 1892, Mayor Richard H. Williams was concerned about the increase of petty crime in the town; a concern that turned to annoyance because the North-West Mounted Police refused to enforce town bylaws. On July 19, 1892 Council approved the appointment and swearing in, four days later, of James Williams, as Regina’s first Town Constable. He worked out of the first City Hall on 11th Avenue and Scarth Street. Williams received a monthly salary of $50 and a free uniform to wear while on duty, while he supplied his own gun. Williams duties included impounding stray animals, preventing street obstructions, keeping the town “toughs” under control, ringing the town bell at appointed hours, waiting on Council, enforcing sanitation laws, controlling roaming livestock, licensing transient traders, billiard rooms and refreshment houses and issuing dog tags.

From those humble beginnings, the City of Regina has grown, as has its Police Service. In 2006, the Regina Police Service has an authorized strength of 343 sworn police members, 4 special constables and 139 civilians.