Complex needs shelter wins praise from Regina police, addiction experts – Regina [Video]

According to the Regina Police Service (RPS), the city’s complex needs shelter is creating a space for growth in policing.

At a press confrence on Monday, Chief Farooq Hasan Sheikh said the ability to take non-violent detainees to the shetler is a welcome change as it allows RPS officers to return to service sooner.

“I’m really happy with it,” Sheik said. “One-hundred-and-eight people we detained, they would’ve normally been in a cell for eight hours, or maybe longer ,and they wouldn’t have got the support from trained people to deal with them accordingly. One-hundred-and-one have been handed over to the complex needs shelter, where they’ve got highly trained people.”

The provincial government opened the 15-bed space earlier this year to offer support to those in police detention to who are a risk to themselves or others.

Natasha Kennedy, executive director of Regina Treaty/Status Indian Services Inc., said her service often deals with people struggling with addiction …