Province seeing payoff in policing investments

The province is touting investments in policing initiatives as contributing to public safety in Saskatchewan.

Statistics from January and February this year offer proof, according to the province, of the success of the programs.

In those first two months of 2023, the CRT and WEST seized 67 guns, 142 grams of meth, more than 2,000 grams of cocaine and three grams of fentanyl from Saskatchewan communities. The teams were also responsible for 101 arrests.

The Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team (STRT) also removed 38 guns, 21.4 grams of meth, 36 grams of cocaine and 42 grams of fentanyl. The team also reportedly made 20 human trafficking interventions and laid 20 criminal charges.

The DEA reports 42 grams of fentanyl is enough to kill 21,000 people.

In total, the three teams have seized more than $180,000 in property.

The province said promised expansions to crime reduction teams (CRT) and warrant enforcement suppression teams (WEST) will continue to support successes like this in Saskatchewan.

In the Throne Speech in Nov. 2022, the Saskatchewan Government announced a $1.6-million investment in an additional WEST in Prince Albert, listed in the 2023-24 budget. It will expand the efforts of one team located in Meadow Lake and Saskatoon into two teams reaching more of the province.

The budget also listed $1.6 million for a new CRT in the Battlefords region. This will be the 10th CRT in Saskatchewan.

“These teams have already proven their value in a very short timeframe,” said Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister, Christine Tell.

Tell called the funding for these teams an “investment in the safety of Saskatchewan communities,” referencing a major drug seizure recently made in Prince Albert.

“Whether it’s apprehending violent offenders or removing drugs and guns from our communities, these teams make our province a safer place to live for everyone—and that’s something this government will continue to invest in,” Tell said.

WEST launched one year ago, in April 2022, with the mandate of targeting high-profile offenders who are a significant threat to public safety, like gang members and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.

The CRT works to target street gangs and prolific offenders as well as responding as needed to urban and rural crime.

The new CRT unit will consist of eight RMCP officers, an analyst and an administrative support position. The team is expected to be operational in late 2023 to 2024.