Regina women raise concerns after being told no police available for 911 call because of 'shift change'

Two Regina women are concerned about how a 911 operator responded to a call they made about a man they say was threatening them in a public park. They say the operator told them officers couldn't respond immediately because of a shift change.

The Regina Police Service (RPS) says it will always respond in case of an emergency, whether or not there is a shift change, and that a suspect was arrested 36 minutes after the call came in.

Aurora Marinari was meeting with her book club at Victoria Park in Regina on Oct. 4 when the incident happened.

The group of six women and two children were sitting on the benches near the Victoria Street entrance, chatting from a safe physical distance, when they were approached.

"A man who was inebriated or high or something ... he actually really rode his bike right into me," Marinari said. "He was disturbing us and not following social distancing protocols at all and just getting very, very close to us and was being rude and aggressive."

The group members are fine, but Marinari said they are concerned about a lack of police response.

The women asked the man to leave and he said he would, she said. The man then sat close to a nine-year-old girl with the group, causing her to become afraid, Marinari said. After that, the group basically chased him off and Marinari kept an eye on him, she said.

She said the man then harassed a separate group before going to an older gentleman in the park and yelling, shouting and attacking him. The older man left safely, she said.

The group decided to phoned 911 to request that a police officer come out and see the situation.

Jessica Bonish called the operator at 7:14 p.m. CST, then passed the phone to Marinari. The man then started heading back to the group, Marinari said. He circled them on his bike, shouting obscenities as the group decided to leave to go somewhere safe, she said.

"I was on the phone with the operator at the time," Marinari said. "I don't know if she heard that, but she definitely would have heard the four of us respond to this guy and start yelling at him to leave us alone."

Marinari said she was surprised by what happened next.

"[The operator] explained that, well, it was a shift change with police, so she would try to send someone down after the shift change was over," Marinari said.

"She said there wasn't anyone available. And so we just didn't seem impressed that it wasn't being taken seriously."

Marinari said the operator told her there were other calls officers on the night shift were needed at as well, so there may not be someone for some time.

The Regina Police Service said the women's call came in at 7:14 p.m. CST, officers were dispatched at 7:20 p.m. CST and a man was arrested at 7:40 p.m. CST.

RPS said it will always respond to emergencies, regardless of shift changes.

The service said the best thing for the women to do would be submit a public concern or complaint with the police service.

Bonish did contact the Regina Police Service after speaking to CBC Saskatchewan. She said police told her the way the call was handled was completely inappropriate and police will respond to an emergency as soon as possible.

Bonish said she was satisfied with their response but she made it clear to them that the operator's response needs to be addressed so it does not happen to future callers.

"A park at 7:00 p.m. on a Sunday should be a safe place, especially in downtown where there are normally police officers all over the place," Marinari said.

Marinari said the operator could have also had more training in compassion and support for the women in the situation.

Bonish described the details of the event the same as Marinari. She said she was also surprised when hearing there was not an officer available.

"We were actively being threatened. And thankfully, there was a group of us," Bonish said. "[It's] quite nerve racking. I have always felt safe knowing that if I am in danger, I can call 911. But this just kind of throws a wrench into that."

Bonish is legally blind and said that she would need help sooner than some other women. As well, as someone who works in the downtown area, she said she'll most likely avoid that area completely in the future to be safe.

"Unfortunately, emergencies and criminal behaviour don't abide by shift change," she said. "So ideally, police would have responded immediately and even more ideally, it would have been a police officer and a mental health worker."

Bonish hopes in the future, Regina police have a protocol in place for operators when there is a threat to people during a shift change.

"It seems like there are these holes in the day where we just kind of hope that nothing bad happens to the city," Marinari said.