Reducing Crime is a Priority
Your Saskatchewan Party government continues to look at innovative ways to address crime in Saskatchewan. The province recently marked the anniversary of the Protection and Response Team, created a year ago to help reduce and better respond to crime in Saskatchewan. The initiative includes Saskatchewan Highway Patrol Officers, Ministry of Environment Conservation Officers, and police officers from the RCMP, Saskatoon Police Service, Prince Albert Police Service, Regina Police Service, Moose Jaw Police Service, Estevan Police Service, and the Weyburn Police Service. Two Moose Jaw Police Service officers, and two local area Highway Patrol officers, will be part of the Protection and Response Team once all officers are fully trained and deployed this fall.
The goal of the Protection and Response Team is to: • Improve police response to emergency calls for services, including property crimes that are in prog- ress;
• Enhance uniform visibility and presence in rural Saskatchewan;
• Increase the law enforcement of drug trafficking on Saskatchewan’s roadways; and
• Enhance the safety of roads by reducing the number of serious collisions and fatalities. Protection and Response Team vehicles are equipped with Automatic License Plate Readers. These devices automatically scan licence plates – up to one plate per second – and alert police if a nearby vehicle is unregistered, or associated with a driver who has been suspended for impaired driving or other reasons. They can be used to look out for a vehicle that has been reported stolen, or is connected to a crime or an Amber alert.
Since the operational launch of the Protection and Response Team in April, conservation officers and highway patrol officers have taken more than 400 Protection and Response Team related actions. The Protection and Response Team partnership with Conservation Officers and officers from the Moose Jaw Police Service were able to assist the RCMP in dealing with a motor vehicle collision involving six vehicles, including a semi tractor-trailer unit, near the Belle Plaine overpass. In central Saskatchewan, a Conservation Officer’s expertise with a drone helped locate two suspects of attempted theft and theft of a vehicle, who were then arrested without incident. We are pleased the partnership is working. The Government of Saskatchewan is also acting to ensure the safety of urban communities and families through Municipal Police Grants. The provincial government provides funds to urban police services across the province to support 128 municipal police positions and policing initiatives. In combination with the Provincial Response Team, this grant fulfills the government’s commitment to support policing services within the province’s municipalities. Moose Jaw Police Service received $330,000 as part of the Targeted Policing Initiatives to fund three Moose Jaw Police Service positions in 201718. The funding is dedicated to Serious Crime and Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan.
As our government has reiterated many times, the purpose of growing the economy is to be able to provide the services needed by Saskatchewan people for quality of life for all. Safety is a top priority along with health services, education, housing and social supports. Safety and security of Saskatchewan people remains a top priority of our government, we look forward to the continued positive impact of these policing initiatives.