Saskatchewan explores civilian oversight options

REGINA – The Saskatchewan government is looking at how other provinces handle police oversight after years of being criticized for police policing police.

It’s one of the only provinces without an independent civilian-led agency that investigates police actions that result in injury or death.

It’s common for another local police agency to review serious events such as shootings.

“It’s one police force investigating another police force, so therefore you have to question the result,” Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team director Felix Cacchione said.

“The investigation by us is done so that there is no perception that the police are investigating themselves,” he said.

The Regina Police Service is investigating a shooting on Tuesday in which an RCMP corporal and one suspect were injured.

Moose Jaw Police stepped in after a shooting in August involving a Mountie left one man dead on the Fishing Lake First Nation, about 230 kilometres east of Saskatoon.

Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Justice says police oversight looks different everywhere and, in cases where death or serious injury occur, the province assigns an independent observer to review the investigation and report to the ministry.

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press