Province takes action on previously stated rural crime initiatives
The province is introducing legislation to continue its efforts in reducing rural crime.
On Wednesday, two laws were introduced into the Legislative Assembly. According to the province, The Police (Regional Policing) Amendment Act “represents an ongoing commitment to enhance rural policing in the province.”
If passed, it will allow rural municipalities, and municipalities under 500, to join regional police services — announced in the Throne Speech last month.
The law included several previously announced measures, largely stemming from the province’s policing initiative that was announced in 2017.
Recommendations from the committee struck by that initiative included the creation of a $5.9-million protection and response team, which consisted of 258 armed peace officers, RCMP and municipal police members as well as conservation officers. A Saskatchewan Highway Patrol, which gave the province’s commercial-vehicle enforcement officers a broader mandate as well as sidearms, was also created.
Minister of Corrections and Policing Christine Tell admitted, “We don’t really know how this is going to work,” but said the intention of the new law is to “provide municipalities, rural municipalities and cities another option with respect to policing.”
By now allowing communities with under 500 people to enter into policing partnerships, Tell said, the law would be “more inclusive.”
“Nobody called for it,” she said, noting the idea was brought forward by a Saskatchewan city.
Tell also said at this point in time the province is “kind of maximizing our policing component” in the province, but that could change as the government wants to continue addressing the issue as it evolves.
Saskatchewan’s rural crime rate was 36-per-cent higher than its urban crime rate in 2017, according to a police-reported crime statistics report released earlier this year. Tell said she would love to say the new initiatives are the “panacea,” but policing is only one component of fighting crime. She added success of the initiatives can be, in part, judged by the visibility of police officers in communities.
“People want to see their police,” she said.
NDP justice critic Nicole Sarauer said she only briefly looked at the new law before speaking with reporters, but suggested the province
(The intent is to) provide municipalities, rural municipalities and cities another option with respect to policing.
should be looking at a comprehensive strategy for addressing crystal meth, which police say is one reason property crimes have increased.
The province is also amending its laws surrounding the seizure of criminal property, to “help ensure that the most harmful and serious forms of criminal activity are properly covered under the civil forfeiture program.”
Changes will allow the province to seize property believed to be part of unlawful activity, such as gang-activity or a vehicle used in drug dealing.
Already the bar for seizing property believed to be tied to crime in Saskatchewan is considered low by many — a conviction is not required before seizing money or property. In legal-speak, the “standard of proof ” is lower.
During the 2017-18 fiscal year, the province received $1,014,268 in forfeitures.