Released on November 3, 2022
As announced in the Throne Speech, government is developing a new Saskatchewan Marshals Service (SMS) and expanding the Crime Reduction Team (CRT) and Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST).
The SMS will consist of approximately 70 officers. The Service will provide an additional law enforcement presence across Saskatchewan, conduct proactive investigations and support RCMP and municipal police operations. Their duties will include responding to areas with high crime rates, apprehending offenders with outstanding arrest warrants and investigating farming-related offenses like theft and trespassing.
"We know there are areas in Saskatchewan that need more visible, active policing," Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell said. "The SMS will provide that, and work with RCMP and municipal police to strengthen law enforcement across the entire province."
Government will establish the Service as an independent agency reporting to the Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety. The SMS is expected to be operational by mid-to-late 2026, at an annual cost of approximately $20 million.
The Service will have police authority throughout the province, and support RCMP and municipal police operations where appropriate. The RCMP will remain the provincial police service of jurisdiction.
The Government of Saskatchewan will also be providing approximately $1.6 million annually to implement an expansion to WEST in Prince Albert. The unit will consist of eight RCMP officers, one analyst and one administrative support position. The new team is expected to be operational in late 2023-24 (fiscal year). The first WEST units began operations in Saskatoon and Meadow Lake in April of this year. WEST targets high-profile offenders who represent a significant threat to public safety, such as gang members and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
A new CRT unit will be established in the Battlefords region, and will consist of eight officers, one analyst and one administrative support position. Government will provide approximately $1.6 million annually to fund the unit, which is expected to be operational in late 2023-24 (fiscal year). The CRT's mandate is to target street gangs and prolific offenders and respond to urban and rural crime surges. This expansion increases the total number of CRT units in the province from 9 to 10.
"In total, these new initiatives represent over $23 million in additional annual funding to enhance and expand law enforcement across our province," Tell said. "The Marshals Service and the expansions to WEST and CRT build on previous steps we have taken in recent years, such as the development of the Provincial Protective Services Branch and funding for the Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team, to keep Saskatchewan people and communities safe."
For more information on the WEST, CRT and Provincial Protective Services Branch, please see:
For more information, contact:
Noel BusseCorrections, Policing and Public Safety
Regina
Phone: 306-787-8959
Email: cpjumedia@gov.sk.ca