Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore. Sept. 7, 2022. (Shane Clausing/980 CJME)

By paNOW Staff

RCMP IN SASK

Commanding Officer of Sask. RCMP looks ahead to 2024

Jan 2, 2024 | 2:00 PM

It was a challenging but positive year for the Saskatchewan RCMP but the service has plenty to look forward to in 2024.

Commanding Officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP Rhonda Blackmore spoke to paNOW before the turning of the calendar year to talk about 2023 and what the next several months have in store for the force.

When looking back on the year that was, Blackmore admitted that while they didn’t have a large-scale incident like the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon massacre, they still saw some concerning trends.

“Increasing violence, significant numbers of gang members being involved in violent crime, gun violence, lots of issues around illegal drugs and the negative impact it’s having on our communities, especially in particular communities in the North,” she said.

Of note was Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and the communities of Pelican Narrows and Deschambault Lake. The First Nation declared a State of Emergency in October because of criminal activity and residents constantly feeling unsafe.

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Blackmore said Mounties have done lots of work to address those concerns with the help of the Crime Reduction Team being deployed there recently.

“That’s the second occasion in the last few weeks we’ve had to try to help arrest those prolific offenders, identify and arrest them, they’ve executed some warrants on the First Nation, they’ve been able to apprehend some of those prolific offenders and we saw an immediate impact in the level of violence in the community there,” she said.

One of the positive stories Blackmore reflected on this past year regarded reconciliation efforts. In June, the lands where the Meadow Lake RCMP detachment sits were returned to Flying Dust First Nation.

Participants gather during the ceremony in Meadow Lake. (Matt Ryan/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

Flying Dust began a specific claim against the Government of Canada in 1992, to not only take back their reserve lands but to have their ownership and jurisdiction recognized. After 30 years of negotiations and legal battles, the lands that were taken are now being returned.

As part of the process going forward, since the RCMP detachment sits on the land that is owned by Flying Dust, the RCMP will begin paying the First Nation land leases for use of the land.

On Sept. 9, 2023, the RCMP also unveiled the Indian Residential School Monument in front of the RCMP headquarters building in Regina. The structure was created by Kwakiutl master carver, Stanley Hunt, in memory of the thousands of Indigenous children who suffered in residential schools.

Stan Hunt speaks at the unveiling of the Residential Schools Monument in Regina. (submitted photo/Saskatchewan RCMP)

Looking ahead to 2024, Blackmore said there are a lot of positive stories coming their way, including the first all-Indigenous troop to graduate in more than 20 years.

“The other all-Indigenous troops initiated out of Saskatchewan RCMP, but that happened in the early 2000s, so really exciting opportunities for our Indigenous applicants who are looking to join the RCMP and come back to communities in Saskatchewan and be part of change so that we can see positive influence.”

Building on that desire to change, Blackmore said the RCMP is hiring and looking for more people, especially Indigenous recruits. Blackmore said that with a recent change in policy, those who wish to stay and work in Saskatchewan will stay in the province.

“They don’t have to worry about being posted to another province if they would prefer to stay here,” she said. “Our members out at our detachments are very committed to working within their communities and are doing great work at engaging with the elected officials, our chiefs and councils and mayors and reeves throughout the province.”

She concluded the interview by saying the best part of policing is when they get to interact with their communities and develop positive relationships.

“And can assist them in moving forward to increase public safety in their communities, because that’s certainly our goal.”

–With files from Angela Brown, meadowlakeNOW

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panews@pattisonmedia.com