Saskatchewan and Regina are at the top of the list regarding homicide rates in the county.

That is according to a recent report from Statistics Canada that showed the national homicide rate in the county has increased for the third consecutive year.

Saskatchewan saw both the highest rate of homicides and the highest rate of gang-related killings. The province’s homicide rate went up nine per cent from 2020.

The city of Regina had a homicide rate of 5.67 per 100,000 people, beating out Thunder Bay and Winnipeg as the only other cities with a rate over five.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said the city’s homicide rate is something they have been challenged with.

“Homicides are the most serious crime that a community sees, and we see the victimization and the trauma that comes from that; it really does affect the community,” he said. “We know that in 2021 we had the highest homicide rates that we have ever seen in the City of Regina. That said, in 2022, I think we have seen a bit of a return to what we’ve seen on average in the last decade.”

So far, in 2022, the city has seen eight homicides, compared to 15 last year in total.

Bray said the complexity of the social issues that lead to homicides is one of the reasons it’s challenging for police.

“Ahe availability of weapons, like firearms, can cause a different outcome than two people getting into a fistfight. When you have arguments that break out, and someone pulls out a weapon like a firearm, that has different consequences,” he said. “That is why we constantly talk about the work we are doing with regards to drug issues in the City and with regards to firearms because those two things are a volatile and deadly combination.”

Data showed that a gun was the cause of death in about half of the homicides in the Regina area last year.

Regina also led the nation in the rate of gang-related homicides, as eight of the 15 homicides were connected to gangs.

Bray said gang crime is a constant pressure in the City, but work is underway to address the city’s gang issue.

“We do know that gangs, drugs, and firearms, are all intertwined. For us, it’s not about just targeting one; we have really focused efforts on all three of those areas,” he said. “If you are doing strong drug enforcement, you are going to infiltrate gangs, and you are going to diminish the number of firearms in the community.”