Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore. THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE/Michael Bell

By CJME News

RCMP’s Blackmore expresses concern about Saskatchewan Marshals Service

Nov 18, 2022 | 2:41 PM

The commanding officer of the RCMP in Saskatchewan shared a few concerns about a new provincial law enforcement agency, saying the money spent might go further if it was invested into the RCMP instead of a brand-new agency.

The creation of the Saskatchewan Marshals Service was first announced in the throne speech on Oct. 26. According to the provincial government, the service will consist of about 70 officers who will work in areas with high crime rates, arrest offenders with outstanding warrants, and investigate rural crime including theft and trespassing.

The Saskatchewan Marshals Service is expected to cost about $20 million each year, the province said, and is expected to be up and running in 2026.

Speaking at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities convention in Saskatoon on Thursday, Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said not much is known about the new service at the moment.

“The announcement of the marshal service is still new,” she said, “and we do have questions that haven’t been answered about that.”

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Establishing a brand-new police service is not cheap, the RCMP assistant commissioner said, as all of its buildings, vehicles and infrastructure will need to be purchased.

“We have the infrastructure available,” Blackmore said. “All of those startup costs are significant, so our question would be: ‘Why focus on that, and not putting those resources into the RCMP?’ ”

During her appearance at the convention, Blackmore noted rural crime issues are on the rise in Saskatchewan, especially the problem of fuel theft.

She said the RCMP is aware of policing issues in rural Saskatchewan, particularly lengthy response times in more remote parts of the province.

Blackmore said the RCMP is considering a policing boundary review, as some of the current boundaries were created back in the ’50s, and populations have changed significantly since then.