The RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina (Photo 239924710 © Caubaydon | Dreamstime.com)

By Derek Craddock

FUTURE OF POLICING

Is Saskatchewan rethinking policing in the province?

Mar 21, 2024 | 2:00 PM

A Marshals Service in Saskatchewan and talks about a new police force in Alberta might leave some people wondering what the future holds for municipal police and the RCMP.

Last week, the Government of Alberta introduced a bill to create a separate police agency.

The Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, was introduced to the legislature on March 13 and, if passed, the province would enable the creation of a new organization that would work alongside police services across the province. Officers would take on the responsibility of “police-like functions” currently carried out by the Alberta Sheriffs.

It’s not the first time Alberta’s United Conservative government has toiled with the idea of a new police force as former Premier Jason Kenney looked at the idea of scrapping the RCMP in favour of a provincial police force. Those plans were cancelled following the Conservative’s win in the 2023 election under leader Danielle Smith.

This news comes after Saskatchewan announced it was creating a Marshals Service based in Prince Albert and operational by 2026.

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The Marshals Service will have a mandate to police primarily in rural and remote areas, focusing on locations with high crime rates.

The 70-officer service is designed to find and arrest prolific criminals who are wanted on warrants and provide support and assistance to other law enforcement agencies as requested.

However, news of that service has led to many questions about why it is needed.

The Opposition NDP and the commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP have raised concerns about the service and wonder why the millions of dollars a year needed to operate the force can’t go to the RCMP or municipal policing.

These new services, coupled with the recommendations of the Mass Casualty Commission, which released its final report last March into the mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020, leave the question open over whether governments and the public are losing trust in the RCMP.

Casey Ward is President of the Saskatchewan Federation of Police and sits on the board of the Canadian Police Association. He spoke to paNOW following the news of Alberta’s Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act.

He believes the Marshals Service and what Alberta is proposing are different agencies with both expected to support RCMP and city police forces.

Ward said he has heard the criticisms about the Marshals Service and the Police Federation and the CPA has had some conversations about it. While, on paper, this may seem like losing trust in contract police forces, Ward has another theory, directed at the fact that the federal government’s contract with the RCMP is set to lapse in 2032.

“That contract hasn’t been renewed, so some provinces, I think, are starting to look at even some of those recommendations from the Mass Casualty Commission talking about the role of the RCMP if they should get out of contract policing,” he said.

“I think some of the provinces are kind of trying to brace and be a bit proactive of what’s this going to look like 10-20 years and should we be going down this path”

Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador are the only provinces with a provincial police force and not the RCMP. Ontario’s program started in 1909; the Sûreté du Québec has existed for over 150 years and The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary dates to the early 18th century.

Ward admits that it takes a lot of time to stand up a service like a provincial force or other police agency, on top of costs.

Saskatchewan’s Marshals Service, for example, is expected to cost about $20 million a year once operational. The Sask. Party government said in its 2024 Budget on Wednesday, it’s dedicating $7 million to start hiring.

Using a very rough calculation, the $20 million budget for the Marshal’s service and 70 officers breaks down to $285,000/officer. By comparison, the annual budget for Prince Albert Police Service which has 105 officers is $19 million or $180,000/officer.

Of course, neither service would use all of its budget for salaries as support staff, buildings, vehicles, weapons and restraints all must be paid for as well.

A report from PriceWaterhouseCoopers showed that Alberta would spend about $366 million to move away from RCMP.

Ward, however, suggested starting a separate police force or provincial agency could cost anywhere from $50 to $100 million to start.

“Our firm belief is that we’d like to see that money invested in the RCMP and the municipal police agencies that already have the infrastructure,” he said. “If you think about it, you know radio systems, data collection vehicles, all that stuff we have already, that are millions to start off with.”

“I think people are looking at other ways to deliver service to supplement the RCMP and some of the kind of things you heard is if that works, then it might expand into that full provincial police force,” said Ward.

Last December, the National Police Federation (NPF) released a survey on satisfaction with RCMP and community policing.

The results showed that 78 per cent of those surveyed are satisfied with their local RCMP and 73 per cent are satisfied with their municipal police force.

(National Federation of Police)

(National Federation of Police)

Alberta and Saskatchewan had the highest satisfaction rates in the country, with 85 and 80 per cent respectively.

Many survey goers did want RCMP to improve public safety, have better involvement with community members and address issues of racism and discrimination.

Ward pointed out that the Canadian Police Association is having conversations with the government about what policing will look like going forward.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com