Debate grows over Saskatchewan Marshals as government touts policing investments

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The province is expanding training capacity at the Saskatchewan Police College and Weger also pointed to broader public safety spending, including $310 million for RCMP operations in Saskatchewan, which includes funding for First Nations policing, along with $22.7 million for municipal police grants supporting 160 officers, $6 million for Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods officers, and $190,000 for the Small Town and Rural (STAR) policing grant program.

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The government said these investments represent an “unprecedented level” of support for policing in the province.

The Opposition New Democrats, however, are criticizing the MSM, arguing it is not creating enough new officers and is instead drawing staff away from existing police agencies.

NDP justice critic Nicole Sarauer said data shared by Weger during budget estimates in the spring sitting indicated that of the 27 current Saskatchewan Marshals officers, only two are new recruits, while the remaining 25 came from other police services.

“The whole point of the Saskatchewan Marshals was — apparently — to address policing shortages in the province,” Sarauer said in a news release. “Poaching police officers from one police force in the province to another isn’t addressing this issue.”

The NDP also raised concerns about costs, pointing to the way policing is funded in Saskatchewan.

Under the current funding model, the provincial government covers about 70 per cent of the cost of each new RCMP officer, while the federal government pays the remainder and also contributes to infrastructure and other policing resources. The Marshals Service, however, is funded entirely by the province, meaning it carries the full cost of each officer.

“Every time Moe poaches an officer from the RCMP he is charging the taxpayers an additional 30 per cent,” Sarauer said.

The Opposition also cited recent violent incidents in northern Saskatchewan and Statistics Canada data showing high and rising crime rates in the province. It also referenced past warnings from former Regina Police Association president Christine Tell about the potential impact of reallocating officers from smaller detachments.

Sarauer said the government is not addressing root causes of crime and is instead shifting resources between agencies.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com