(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

money for cops

P.A. Police receives provincial funding

Aug 17, 2019 | 12:00 PM

Prince Albert’s chief of police says 20 per cent of his officers are funded externally and without that money policing would be different in and around the city.

Jon Bergen is speaking to this year’s $2.2 million Municipal Police Grant from the province that will continue to fund 20 existing positions.

He said those positions allow them to expand their reach into various investigation teams and partnerships.

“These positions go towards ICE (Internet Child Exploitation), Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit which does covert investigations and deals with organized crime, missing persons, special investigations and police and crisis team,” he told paNOW. “These funded positions are absolutely critical in delivering police service that ensures public safety and quality of life here in Prince Albert.”

The city’s police service receives provincial funding for 20 officers through the grant program, and an additional $540,000 this year to keep three officers with the Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan Initiative. Currently there are a total of 103 officers with the P.A. Police Service.

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“If we didn’t have these [funded] positions we’d have to refocus and prioritize how we deployed our staff and we wouldn’t be able to do as much as we do now,” Bergen said.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow