REGINA - This week marks the end of an era for Regina Police Service with the retirement of Police Chief Evan Bray.
Friday marks the end of the month, and marks Bray’s final day on the job after 28 years with the police force and seven as Police Chief. During the past few weeks, those inside and outside the community have paid tribute to his service. One of those was Glen Suitor during TSN’s football telecast last week when the Saskatchewan Roughriders played the Calgary Stampeders, with Suitor thanking Bray on the air.
Last week, Bray presided over opening of the new entrance to the Regina Police Services building on Saskatchewan Ave., marking the conclusion of the first phase of the new police headquarters' construction. On Wednesday this week, Bray did a ride-along tour with members of the media, and in an interview with local media he also confirmed he went out on patrol with police officers, responding to calls and making arrests.
Bray’s final board meeting before the Regina Board of Police Commissioners was on Tuesday. At the end of the meeting, board chair Jada Yee paid tribute in closing remarks, expressing the board’s appreciation of Bray’s years of service and for his “deep commitment to the safety and well-being of our citizens and your members.”
He commended Bray as a “shining example for others to follow. Your legacy will be felt in the years to come.”
In speaking to reporters after Tuesday’s meeting, Bray admitted to being nostalgic.
“It’s been great. I’ve enjoyed it,” said Bray, who thanked reporters at that last meeting.
“I think the media has a very important role in helping our community understand and shape how we think about different things that are going on, and I truly thank you for giving me that opportunity.”
Among the main issues discussed at that final police commissioners’ meeting was a familiar one seen by police in the province: one of the amount of resources being taken up to send police to respond to social issues such as addictions or mental health, as opposed to handling criminal complaints. A key concern has been a lack of resources to handle the social concerns, leaving police as the default option whenever those issues arise.
“I think that what has happened is there’s more awareness of it,” said Bray. “The police responding to social issues is not a new topic, but I think what happened is there’s been a real good recognition especially since the pandemic, that the social issues exist, that police often are the only ones to respond and that there is a need to find other solutions that maybe don’t require police intervention or response.”
Bray also said addressing the social challenges “have to be a true collaboration between city, province and federal government. And so, often people turn to the city and expect ‘what are you doing about this.’ The city is not going to be able to function even from a tax-based perspective to truly dig into addictions and mental health. We need to work with community partners… I think collaboration is going to be the key to success when it comes to social challenges.”
The Police Chief cited the handling of social issues as one of the challenges the Regina Police Service will have to address, but he also pointed to the accomplishments of the force as he hands it off.
“I’m proud of where we’re at from an investigative standpoint. Our air support unit absolutely made a significant difference to how the police and how we keep our community safe. Our officers are better trained, they are better equipped to handle today’s complex situations, so that is really good.”
Bray also pointed to those times when there is a conflict or divide between what the community expectation is of the police, and of the police’s ability to meet it with the resources at their disposal.
Bray said part of his job has been “to get this right, and it may mean it’s not us that handle it, but a community partner, mobile crisis or social services or whoever comes in and handles it - so how do we find a way to bring expectations and performance together in a way that it actually does what the community needs. It has been a nuanced, complex challenge that it has been my pleasure to do and I’m confident we are in a good position to carry on through.”
