By Thia James

PHOTOS: Conservation officers brush up on defence tactics in PA

May 14, 2014 | 4:45 PM

Senior conservation officers with the provincial ministry of the environment were brushing up on their defensive training in the Prince Albert area on Wednesday.

The officers took part in defensive tactical training at the Prince Albert Kenshukan Dojo and firearms training at a gun range used by Saskatchewan Environment and the Prince Albert Police, west of the city. It’s part of three-and-a-half days of training taking place this week.

Rich Hildebrand, with the compliance and education unit, said the officers are required to go through annual recertification. What the training gives the officers is confidence that they can handle situations where their safety’s threatened, he added.

“It’s not an everyday occurrence … [it’s] not something we use every day. So it’s just to be ready,” he said. “When they get into situations, some people decide they’re not going to co-operate with law enforcement and then our officers have to deal with whatever comes to play.”

Fifty-two seasonal officers also went through training last week. Hildebrand said these officers deal with intoxicated people, and don’t carry firearms.

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The conservation officers have the same arrest powers as police officers, and deal with armed suspects, dangerous wildlife and hazardous waste as well. The officers also assist the RCMP when needed in rural and northern areas.

In all, Hildebrand said the officers deal with about 45 use of force incidents per year throughout the province. And they are trained to hit “the centre of mass” when they are firing their weapons in a life or death situation, he said.

And when it comes to dangerous wildlife, there have been occasions where officers have been attacked by bears. Hildebrand said this is the nature of their work. New officers receive wildlife-human conflict training, as well as chemical immobilization to dart the animals in order to safely remove them.

Hildebrand said the conservation officers work in remote areas by themselves all of the time, and deal with people who have firearms or knives.

“I guess, you’re always, you’re dealing with people out there with firearms because of hunting season and things like that all the time and 99 per cent of the people are, you know, there are no issues, but you need to be prepared for what happens if.”

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames