What The Data Tells Us

An honest, data-driven look at crime in Regina. No sensationalism, no sugar-coating. Just numbers and context.

By OpenPodTech · Based on 12 years of police data (2007-2018) + live 2026 feeds · Updated automatically

In This Report

1. The Big Picture 2. The Safest Areas (And Why) 3. The Improving Areas 4. Seasonal Patterns 5. What Realtors Skip 6. The Data Gap

1. The Big Picture

In 2018, Regina recorded approximately 34,000 crime incidents across all neighbourhoods. That's roughly 150 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, making Regina one of Canada's higher-crime cities per capita.

But that headline number hides enormous variation. The safest neighbourhoods see fewer than 50 incidents per year. The highest-activity areas can top 1,000+. Where you live within Regina matters more than whether you live in Regina at all.

The gap between safest and most dangerous is roughly 20x. Two neighbourhoods 10 minutes apart can have wildly different risk profiles. This is why blanket "Regina is dangerous" takes are misleading.

Property crime dominates. Theft, break-and-enter, and mischief make up roughly 70-80% of all incidents city-wide. Violent crime (assault, robbery) is heavily concentrated in a small number of core neighbourhoods.

2. The Safest Areas (And Why)

Consistently low-crime areas in Regina share common traits:

Newer developments: Harbour Landing, Hawkstone (excluding retail theft), The Creeks, Fairways West
Lower density: Fewer people per block = fewer opportunities for crime
Distance from core: Farther from downtown = lower property crime rates
Higher income: Areas with $80K+ median household income have 3-5x fewer incidents
Design: Cul-de-sac layouts, limited through-traffic, fewer commercial interfaces

Best bets for newcomers: Whitmore Park, Lakeview, Hillsdale, University Park, and Harbour Landing consistently rank in the top 10 safest. They also have good school access and transit. Check their neighbourhood profiles for details.

However: "safe" doesn't mean "zero crime." Even the safest neighbourhoods see occasional vehicle break-ins, especially in winter when cars are left running.

3. The Improving Areas

Several neighbourhoods have shown sustained crime reduction over the 2007-2018 historical window:

Cathedral: Once considered risky, it's gentrified significantly with new businesses and younger professionals moving in
Transition Area: Despite its name, has seen incremental improvement with community programs
Downtown: After peaking around 2011, downtown crime has stabilized with increased foot traffic from condos

These areas represent potential value for buyers. Lower home prices + improving safety trajectory = good long-term bets. But do your due diligence — check the 12-year trend charts before deciding.

Caution: "Improving" doesn't mean "safe yet." Some areas have improved from "very high" to "high" — better, but still above average. Always check the absolute numbers, not just the trend direction.

4. Seasonal Patterns

Regina crime follows strong seasonal patterns:

Summer Peak (June - August)

Crime spikes 30-40% in summer months. More people outside, longer daylight hours, social gatherings, and school being out all contribute. Mischief, assault, and theft from vehicles peak during this window.

Winter Dip (December - February)

At -30°C to -40°C, nobody wants to be outside. Property crime drops. But domestic-related incidents hold steady or increase. Vehicle theft spikes when people leave cars running to warm up.

September Spike

Back-to-school correlates with a brief spike in theft and break-ins, possibly related to people returning from summer vacations to find homes targeted.

Practical tip: If you're moving in fall/winter, crime stats for that period will look artificially low. Summer is when you see the true baseline. Check multiple seasons before drawing conclusions.

5. What Realtors Skip

Real estate listings highlight schools and parks. They rarely mention:

Adjacent neighbourhood bleed: A "safe" block bordering a high-crime area experiences spillover. The border zones are where most conflicts happen.
Commercial interface: Homes near strip malls and convenience stores see 2-3x more property crime than those in purely residential blocks.
Transit corridor effect: Major bus routes bring accessibility but also more foot traffic and opportunistic crime. Homes on Albert St or Victoria Ave corridors have higher rates.
The Hawkstone illusion: Hawkstone appears high-crime in raw numbers but 90%+ is retail theft from big-box stores, not residential crime. Context matters.
Rental density: Areas with 60%+ rental occupancy tend to have higher turnover and less community cohesion, correlating with slightly elevated rates.

We're not anti-realtor. They have a job to do. But when you're choosing where to raise a family or start fresh in Canada, you deserve the complete picture. That's why this tool exists.

6. The Data Gap

Let's be transparent: we have a 7-year hole in our data. Historical data covers 2007-2018 (from open datasets). Our live feed covers 2026 onward. That leaves 2019-2025 unaccounted for.

What happened during the gap?

COVID-19 (2020-2022) likely disrupted normal patterns significantly. Opioid crisis escalation, homelessness increases, and policing changes all occurred during this window. We can't know the specifics without data.

What we're doing about it

FOIA request submitted to Regina Police Service for 2019-2025 incident data
Monitoring when Saskatchewan Open Data Portal releases historical records
Cross-referencing Statistics Canada annual reports for aggregate numbers
Accepting community submissions of local knowledge for the gap period

We believe in honesty over completeness. We won't interpolate, guess, or fill in fake data. When we have the 2019-2025 records, we'll add them. Until then, the gap is clearly marked in all our charts and tools.

Want to help? If you have access to Regina crime data from 2019-2025, submit it here or open a pull request on our GitHub repository.