RCMP union, nearly 100 groups call for halt of Sask. Marshals Service

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Mayor of Arcola Scott Tessier says he hears from the nearby RCMP detachment that they’re “always understaffed.”

Which is part of the reason why he and many others have questions about the Saskatchewan Marshals Service (SMS).

The Town of Arcola is one of the nearly 100 signatories, including rural municipalities, towns, villages, the national RCMP union and more, that issued a call to action urging the province to press pause on the SMS.

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The call came in the form of a letter to Premier Scott Moe issued Thursday by the National Police Federation (NPF), which represents almost 20,000 RCMP members across Canada.

“They don’t really seem to have any plans about what they’re actually going to do,” Tessier said Friday, adding it feels like the province “just wants to throw a bunch of money” at the project.

An emailed statement from Saskatchewan’s ministry of corrections, policing and public safety said the plan for the SMS is that it complements existing RCMP resources in the province, but raised issue with the current system of recruiting and retaining officers.

“While the Government of Saskatchewan provides funding to the RCMP for provincial policing, the RCMP maintains authority of officer recruitment, retention and the deployment of personnel thereby limiting provincial influence into the number of new recruits coming into Saskatchewan,” read the statement provided Friday.

The letter from the NPF argues that there are “several alarming issues” related to the SMS proposal, “including but not limited to the lack of consultation, concerning oversight, lack of integration with existing law enforcement agencies, unknown costs, and staffing concerns. These issues raise serious doubts about the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of the SMS.”

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Speaking Friday, Union president Brian Sauvé said years after the SMS was announced in conversation with reeves and local politicians, there is still a lack of clarity surrounding.

“The big thing that we’ve heard is the uncertainty of what is the marshal service supposed to do? Is there a hole that it needs to fix?” asked Sauvé, adding that the province should assess whether or not that money can be better spent on things like health care or issues upstream from crime.

The SMS was announced by the province in 2022. At the time, Moe said it was to be operational by 2026 and include the hiring of 70 officers. The team is expected to work with other policing services, the premier said, focus on areas with high crime rates, investigate farm-related offences, including but not limited to, theft and trespassing, at an expected annual cost of $20 million.

Following the announcement of the SMS, local police organizations immediately raised concerns, concerns that have lingered nearly two years later.

The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) acknowledged the need for more police in the province, but echoed worries about some key details.

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“The pool of enforcement officers is limited, and adding an additional service will almost certainly lead to human resource losses for the RCMP and municipal police services that may be difficult to backfill,” said SUMA CEO Jean-Marc Nadeau in an email Friday.

While the NPF applauded a recent provincial funding commitment to the RCMP, in an accompanying news release Thursday, it said it remained concerned about what it saw as a “rushed move” to the marshals service “in response to pandemic recruitment challenges.”

“The absence of a detailed plan outlining the impacts and costs of creating the SMS is unacceptable,” states the call to action. “Saskatchewan residents deserve to know the true financial implications of establishing and maintaining the SMS before any further decisions are made. Without this information, it is impossible to make informed decisions about the future of policing in our province.”

And even with the additional money for RCMP recruitment, Sauvé said rural detachments are still dealing with a degree of short staffing.

“It’s the reality of rural policing in a lot of Canada,” he said.

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“Premier, it is your duty to address these concerns and provide the transparency and accountability that Saskatchewan residents deserve,” the joint-letter concludes. “We stand ready to work with you to ensure that the future of policing in Saskatchewan is based on consultation, transparency, and the needs of our communities.”

Legislation to pave the way for the SMS was introduced under former Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Christine Tell (now environment minister). At the time, Tell maintained that the marshals wouldn’t replace other policing services.

The legislation amends the Police Act and allows the government to outline which areas of the province the marshals work in. It will also spell out the duties of the chief and the police board or governing body “if applicable.”

The SMS reports to the minister of corrections, policing and public safety, currently Paul Merriman. In June, the province announced it had made “significant progress” toward becoming operational by the end of 2026 and that renovations to the district headquarters in Prince Albert were well underway. Richard Lowen has been appointed as deputy chief of the new service, and Thomas Sierzycki hired as executive director of operational support, according to a government news release.

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alsalloum@postmedia.com

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