A brief interruption of business at the front desk of the Regina Police Service today has provided a perfect opportunity to remind the public about what to do when you see a suspicious package. The front doors at Regina Police Service Headquarters were closed for about an hour today (Tuesday, Nov. 22nd) while the RPS Explosives Disposal Unit (EDU) checked out an odd-looking container.
At about 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, November 22, 2016, a package was brought in to the police station by an individual who’d found it in a local park and thought it looked suspicious. As a precaution, members of the Regina Police Service Explosives Disposal Unit did an initial assessment and initially advised that the front lobby area should be vacated. Members of the public and employees were asked to leave the area. Further investigation by the EDU determined the package was not a threat; it appears to be a “Geocache” container. (Geocaching is like a treasure hunt, using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to find containers at specific locations marked by coordinates. The containers usually hold various toys or trinkets for collecting or trading.) The Headquarters Building was re-opened again at 2:09 p.m.
The Regina Police Service strongly encourages anyone, who sees a package or container that looks out-of-place or is somehow unusual/suspicious, to alert authorities. However, if it’s enough to raise your suspicions, please don’t touch it or move it. We have experts who can assess the item, investigate the circumstances, determine any potential risk, and then formulate a plan. Please call us and we’ll go to the location. As always, we are grateful for the help and cooperation of the public in keeping our community safe.