Police respond to a call in Prince Albert's midtown area. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Crime

Sask. NDP delve deep into challenges facing police in Prince Albert

Jan 24, 2024 | 5:00 PM

Many of the challenges facing police in Prince Albert are common throughout the province, however the city is unique in its size and proximity to northern communities.

That’s the message from the Sask. NDP’s Corrections and Policing Critic Nicole Sarauer, who spent the past two days meeting with frontline officers, as well as city officials.

She noted when speaking with officers, she learned they love the work they do, but also describe it as very challenging and demanding.

According to the police service’s crime statistics for 2023, there were over 41,000 calls for service including 1,500 calls for assaults, 180 robberies, 495 vehicle thefts and roughly 4,200 reports of property crime which was 200 more than the previous year.

Sarauaeer explained one of the concerns raised to her was the lack of wraparound supports and cited the example of a call for someone who was high on meth.

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“A business owner calls because there’s a disturbance in their front lobby, they’re calling police, even though that’s not a traditional police issue,” she said.

Nicole Sarauer attended Tuesday night’s Town Hall meeting. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Sarauer said officers themselves will admit they are not the best trained for those situations, and would prefer to handle the crime investigations and have someone else look after the mental health related matters. One initiative that has prove successful is the addition of a mental worker, who works alongside police on a shift.

“But we don’t have enough of them in Prince Albert. They’re not working on every shift so they’re only working certain hours and certain days,” Sarauer said.

The province’s marshall’s service is set to start up in 2026 and the headquarters will be in Prince Albert. Sarauer confirmed after speaking with officers there’s lots of questions related to what sort of crime they will investigate and what the impact will be on the city’s police service.

And with respect to the projected $20 million price tag to run it, Sarauer said the NDP would prefer the money be split between adding more boots on the ground and additional mental health supports.

Through speaking with city councillors, Sarauer also learned the closure of the STC service in 2017 continues to impact the city and those being released from local jails.

“If you don’t have a ride back to your home community, you will stay in Prince Albert, whether or not that individual wants to stay in Prince Albert, so they can become Prince Albert’s problem for better or for worse,” she said.

Following her short stay in Prince Albert, Sarauer travelled to Melfort and was hoping to speak to the officers attending the inquest.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell