(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Corrections

Provincial budget provides extra dollars to help keep tabs on high risk offenders

Mar 24, 2022 | 5:00 PM

Public concerns related to high-risk offenders being on the run were addressed in this week’s provincial budget.

Over a million dollars was set aside for the implementation of Electronic Monitoring Global Positioning System technologies, which were previously announced during the throne speech. This relies on a network of satellites that tracks and records the individual’s location and movements throughout the course of the day. Minister Christine Tell explained the technology has evolved.

“Not everybody is in jail and so there are some that are serving community sentences or on probation. It does ensure a level of safety if someone else is monitoring their behaviour during the time of the order,” she said.

In addition to this, a new Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST) is being established at a cost of $1.6 million to target high-risk offenders with outstanding warrants. Tell explained these officers will focus on serious offenders.

“Often times habitual offenders have outstanding warrants and they are a risk to the community,” she said.

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WEST will be based in Saskatoon and Meadow Lake and will work with RCMP and municipal police services. The team will consist of 10 permanent positions, including eight RCMP police officer positions, one criminal analyst, and one administrative support position.

Other budget highlights, with respect to Corrections and Policing, included establishing the Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team ($6.4 million) and expanding Crime Reduction Teams ($3.2 million). Tell also noted over a million additional dollars has been provided to the Prince Albert Police Service since 2020.

“We are recognizing our communities and some are struggling more than others but we recognizing where the resources need to be put,” Tell said.

The Ministry of Justice and Attorney General will also invest an additional $244,000 into the Aboriginal Courtwork Program to expand its services to additional communities. The Aboriginal Courtwork Program assists families, adults and youth in criminal and family courts.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell