Regina police using decoy vehicles to deter crime

Police in Regina are experimenting with using unoccupied, marked police cruisers to deter crime.

Police in Regina are experimenting with using unoccupied, marked police cruisers to deter crime.

According to a Regina Police Service (RPS) news release, a pilot project was recently launched that sees decommissioned police vehicles parked in "pre-determined areas around the city" in the hopes of encouraging "safe behaviours."

"We are always exploring new, cost-effective ways to make our community safer," the RPS news release said.

Police are counting on the fact that it will likely be difficult to tell the vehicles apart from active patrol vehicles "at first glance."

“We don’t know yet if this will be a good fit for our city, but it has been rolled out in other jurisdictions and we thought it was worth exploring here,” RPS staff sergeant Ryan Dureau said in the news release.

RPS says the project's effectiveness will be "evaluated in a few months."