The Government of Saskatchewan proclaimed this week as National Police Week.
This year’s theme is “Connected to our Communities” to emphasize how police officers are members of the community where they live, as well as members of the policing community where they work.
The Yorkton RCMP kicked off their 9th annual Bike Rodeo on Monday, teaching grade three students from all 8 elementary schools in Yorkton about basic bike safety skills.
The Bike Rodeo is part of Bike Safety Week, running until Friday (20th).
Partnerships between the provincial government and police agencies are highlighted in a news release:
- Creating a Provincial Protective Services branch (PPS) that unites provincial peace officers into a single organizational structure supporting police in emergent situations and enhancing rural crime detection;
- Developing the First Nations Community Safety Officer pilot project with Whitecap Dakota First Nation and Muskoday First Nation;
- Establishing a Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST) to target high-risk offenders with outstanding warrants;
- Forming the Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team (STRT) dedicated to addressing illegal weapons, drugs and human trafficking;
- Expanding Crime Reduction Teams (CRT) to La Ronge and Meadow Lake bringing the total number of CRT units in the province to nine; and
- Adding additional resources and capacity to the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE).
“I am pleased to take this opportunity during National Police Week to thank all Saskatchewan police officers for the work that they do to keep our communities safe,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell said in the release.
“This year’s theme, Connected to our Communities, emphasizes the foundational principle that the police are the public and the public are the police,” Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police President Chief Rick Bourassa said. “The Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police embraces this fundamental relationship as we work together across our province to achieve our shared vision of safe, harmonious and inclusive communities.”
In 2022-23, the province invested approximately $18.4 million to municipal police services to fund 141 police positions and targeted policing initiatives.
