Province says new police teams improving public safety in Sask.

The provincial government says its seen positive results from new police programs, and they’re making Saskatchewan a safer place.

The province has recently invested in a number of police and oversight teams, including the RCMP’s Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team, Crime Reduction Teams and the Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team.

The provincial government said that between March and July those teams seized 23 guns and more than a kilogram each of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.

The municipal Crime Reduction Teams – which are mandated to “target street gangs and prolific offenders and to respond to urban and rural crime surges as needed” – have also seen recent successes, the government noted.

According to the province, between March and August the Crime Reduction Teams seized more than 33 kilograms of cocaine, 3 kilograms of methamphetamine and a kilogram of fentanyl. The teams also made 110 arrests and issued 494 drug charges.

Paul Merriman, Saskatchewan’s minister for corrections, policing and public safety, said the government’s goals include getting drugs and guns off the streets, and directing more resources towards repeat violent offenders, gangs and those involved in human trafficking.

“The results we’re seeing from these investments in policing are incredible, and we are extremely grateful to our frontline RCMP and municipal police officers for the excellent work they’re doing to make our cities and rural communities safe for Saskatchewan people,” Merriman said in a statement.

The province pointed out a number of high-profile cases involving these teams in recent months, including a six-month crime reduction strategy in North Battleford that led to 63 arrests of people who were allegedly unlawfully at large.

In another case, the province noted, RCMP officers determined a woman from Bangladesh was allegedly forced into unpaid labour at restaurants in rural Saskatchewan while living in horrific conditions.

In a statement, RCMP Superintendent Glenn Church, who heads up the Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams, said teams like his “bring value to policing operations” through special training, “which allows them to quickly address violent groups and individuals threatening community safety.”

The Government of Saskatchewan is also working to launch a provincial police force, the Saskatchewan Marshals Service, which is expected to be up and running in 2026. That 70-officer force will be based in Prince Albert.