‘Too soon to tell’ if Sask. rural-crime plan working
Province’s justice minister says added police presence ‘going in right direction’
SASKATOON It is too early to know if a slate of new rural crime-prevention measures unveiled during the last 12 months are working as intended, but the provincial government and Saskatchewan RCMP are optimistic.
While there is not enough data to conduct a “meaningful analysis,” Justice Minister Don Morgan said anecdotal evidence suggests an influx of armed officers is increasing police visibility and reducing response times.
“So far, it’s been positive. Too soon to tell, but I think it’s going in the right direction,” Morgan told reporters in Saskatoon on Thursday, one year after the government began rolling out the measures.
Saskatchewan RCMP Cpl. Rob King echoed that sentiment. He said while it is too early to assess the measures’ effectiveness because they only began operations in April, “more response is always better.”
Concern about “out-of-control” rural crime flared up after the shooting death of Colten Boushie just over two years ago and has remained a significant issue following the second-degree murder acquittal of farmer Gerald Stanley.
The RCMP has responded by calling for calm in a series of town hall meetings, while the provincial government convened a caucus committee to study the issue and provide recommendations, which it did last summer.
Those recommendations included the creation of a $5.9-million protection and response team, which consists of 258 armed peace officers, RCMP and municipal police members as well as conservation officers.
According to the government, it has responded to more than 400 calls in the last four months.
Earlier this summer, the government created the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol by giving the province’s commercial-vehicle enforcement officers a broader mandate as well as sidearms.
“The ultimate goal is to look for a substantial reduction in rural crime, but the immediate goal is to have better response times and to have more officers that are directly available,” Morgan said.
While the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and others expressed both doubt and concern about the government’s plans, fears of rural crime sprees remain a significant issue in the province.
Rural crime is understood to be polling at never-before-seen levels in Saskatchewan, and dealing with it is thought to be a significant priority for Premier Scott Moe — himself a rural MLA.
Statistics Canada data suggests crime levels vary sharply by region, but Morgan said he doesn’t believe concern is overblown, considering an increase in serious crimes, particularly in west-central Saskatchewan.
People across the province have also taken it upon themselves to reignite the Rural Crime Watch movement. During the last year, the number of active groups has exploded, growing to more than 100 from just a handful last year.
One of the groups formed over the last year is based in the Rural Municipality of Kindersley, which attracted controversy last spring when it urged the association of rural municipalities to lobby for expanded self-defence rights.
Lorne Pincemin, an RM councillor who helped establish the group last winter, said the roughly 40-member group’s aim is to feed information about anything suspicious to the RCMP while avoiding any kind of conflict or confrontation. While Pincemin agreed it is likely too early to tell if the new measures are working — “we need to put a year or two under our belt for things to to really take hold” — he described them as a “step in the right direction.”
“Nothing happens overnight. Any time that there’s focus on crime reduction, it takes some time to take effect. People just have to be more aware of the surroundings, and not let things unusual … pass.”
Nothing happens overnight. Any time that there’s focus on crime reduction, it takes some time to take effect.