Regina officer accused of using databases to meet women broke public trust: chief
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/03/2025 (542 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
REGINA – Regina police chief Farooq Sheikh says public trust has been undermined after an officer was accused of using internal databases to meet women.
Sheikh told reporters Thursday the allegations against the accused, who is listed as a suspended member, do not reflect the values of the Regina Police Service.
“We want to be open and transparent and accountable for our actions,” he said. “Public trust and confidence is paramount to the work that we do here and in communities.”
Sgt. Robert Eric Semenchuck is charged with breach of trust and unauthorized use of a computer.
The allegations were brought forward against the 53-year-old senior member in 2023. Sheikh said he was suspended that year. Semenchuck has been a member of the police service for 22 years.
Sheikh said the accused allegedly sought personal and intimate relationships but did not provide further details. He also did not say how many women the officer is believed to have contacted.
The chief said the women’s contact information would have been in the database for various reasons, including calls for service or that they were victims of crime.
“I don’t want to go into too much of the detail. I’ll wait for the court case,” Sheikh said. “There may be some more coming forward, hence why we put (out) a photograph of him.”
He said he’ll be sitting down with a legal team to see what additional sanctions the service can take against the officer.
The chief said the force has been developing ways to prevent similar matters from happening, from new audit systems to training.
“We’ve notified all our staff what’s happened here, and we’ve reassured them that we won’t tolerate that,” Sheikh said.
“(Our staff) are extremely disappointed.”
Semenchuck is to make his first court appearance in Regina on April 22.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2025.