(file photo)

By paNOW Staff

Crime

RCMP pools resources to catch offenders

Jan 15, 2025 | 1:42 PM

Last year, Saskatchewan RCMP Enforcement Response Teams (SERT) executed 662 warrants for arrest and found 17 electronic monitoring arrests.

In order to get those arrests, the force pulls officers from various detachments and with varying roles to catch offenders.

In September, officers from Meadow Lake and La Ronge Critical Response teams were called to Pelican Narrows after they learned that an offender wanted for shooting a gun illegally was in a home in the community.

During the arrest, the man pointed a gun at the officers multiple times before jumping through an opening in the deck and running into the forest.

They then used a drone to help search but could not find the suspect at the time.

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Later that month, the Prince Albert WEST team and members from the Pelican Narrows detachment found the man in the community. They called in the RCMP Police Dog Services and the Manitoba RCMP’s ERT and arrested the man without incident.

It is WEST (the Warrant Enforcment and Suppression Team) that has a specific mandate to arrest people on outstanding warrants although any sworn officer can do so.

“SERT’s operational capacity and integration in the RCMP are essential to locating and apprehending violent offenders who jeopardize the safety of residents,” said Insp. Jeff Smoliak, Saskatchewan RCMP’s SERT Senior Investigative Officer.

People with outstanding warrants are a risk to public safety, the force said, and catching them helps combat dangerous crime around the province.

“These apprehensions are dynamic situations that can be dangerous for everyone involved. The supports we receive from frontline RCMP officers across the province, RCMP criminal analysts, the Critical Incident Response Team and other support services are essential to taking wanted individuals into custody safely,” said Insp. Smoliak.

SERT includes Crime Reduction Teams (CRT), the Human Trafficking and Counter Exploitation Unit (HTCEU), Offender Management Unit (OMU), Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Teams (STRT) and Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Teams (WEST) – targets criminal groups and violent, prolific offenders.

They also work with municipal police forces and federal and provincial corrections institutions.

Saskatchewan RCMP SERT is made up of 108 RCMP officers and 31 civilian support staff. With teams located in 10 Saskatchewan communities, SERT can easily deploy to surrounding areas.

Teams are also helped by over 1,500 RCMP employees, including more than 1,000 sworn officers at 80 plus detachments across the province.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com