Former Regina police chief felt ’embarrassed’ over ‘cheeky banter’ texts at hearing into firing

Former Regina police chief Farooq Sheikh testified texts containing “cheeky banter” with a police board member are no longer on his phone at a hearing appealing his dismissal.

Sheikh deleted the “flirtatious” messages and half-dressed photos with a former police board member because he felt ashamed of them.

“I was embarrassed by my own communication with her,” he said. “I didn’t want anyone to think that we were in a relationship.”

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The police chief was fired with cause in October 2025 after he was found to have sent inappropriate texts regarding his contract to a board member.

The board member cannot be named due to a publication ban and is being referred to as the complainant during the proceedings.

Sheikh met the complainant at a Regina Board of Police Commissioners meeting and the two exchanged phone numbers.

He said their messages were “flirtatious” and full of “cheeky banter,” but he expressed that he wanted no further relationship with her other than being friends.

Texts submitted into evidence showed them fawning over each other’s looks, calling each other pet names and sharing photos while partially undressed.

Sheikh said some of the messages could be considered sexual advances.

While the police board was renegotiating the chief’s contract, Sheikh sent messages to the complainant to lobby on his behalf.

Sheikh wanted to receive the same length of severance pay as his deputy chief and found the process to change it was taking a long time.

He said he didn’t just message or speak with the complainant about amendments to his contract; he spoke to a few other board members about his concerns as well.

When questioned by Sheikh’s defence lawyer, Brian Pfefferle, the former police chief said he was frustrated and wanted to be treated fairly.

Sheikh said he understands sending the messages to the board member was wrong.

“I would have been a little more patient,” he said.

The complainant resigned from the police board after a person she was close with was arrested in a major drug trafficking investigation.

The hearing heard a call the complainant recorded between herself and Sheikh on Feb. 26, 2025.

In it, Sheikh asked her to be “mindful” of the messages sent and asked her to delete them.

He testified he was “mostly” referring to getting rid of photos of themselves partially undressed.

Sheikh and his deputy chief were given advice from lawyers that the complainant needed to resign from her position because the board is privy to information regarding major police investigations.

He said he never conspired to have the complainant kicked off the police board.

Sheikh will continue his testimony on Thursday morning.

Mayor believes intent behind phone call with Sheikh was to manipulate narrative

Regina mayor Chad Bachynski felt the way the former police chief described their relationship was not a proper representation of what truly happened. (980 CJME file photo)

Mayor Chad Bachynski testified he took an “odd” and “frantic” phone call with the former police chief on Feb. 26, 2025.

Bachynski spoke on behalf of the Regina Board of Police Commissioners on the third day of the hearing at the DoubleTree Hotel in Regina.

“I feel like I was being pre-manipulated,” said the mayor about the phone call.

Sheikh had called Bachynski regarding the intention to ask the complainant to leave the police board when a close family friend was charged in a trafficking investigation.

Details of the drug investigation are being guarded by a publication ban.

“It was a very odd phone call and very frantic,” Bachynski said.

Bachynski said Sheikh expressed concern about the board member’s well-being and thought of her like family.

The mayor thinks Sheikh’s words are now an “extreme mischaracterization” of his relationship with the complainant.

After seeing text messages between the two regarding Sheikh’s contract and their personal relationship, Bachynski said trust broke down quickly.

“What raised my concern was the fundamental lack of transparency,” the mayor said.

The text messages were used as evidence in a report from the Public Complaints Commission, which led the police board to fire Sheikh with cause.

The PCC found that allegations of discreditable conduct were “substantiated,” but corrupt practice was “unsubstantiated.”

Pfefferle asked Bachynski if the complainant lobbied for the chief’s contract. The mayor said she didn’t.

The mayor acknowledged there was a “mistake” made in addressing the length of the chief’s severance in his contract.

Pfefferle asked Bachynski if he heard of any “cheeky banter” between Sheikh and the complainant, and he replied no.

Bachynski said Pfefferle’s questions “jogged his memory” about their phone call.

The mayor said he couldn’t confirm whether Sheikh had said he was in contact with the complainant when he called him.

Bachynski said he stands by the police board’s decision to fire Sheikh.