The province is giving the City of North Battleford $785,000 for targeted policing (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff).

By Ian Roach

MONEY FOR POLICING

North Battleford to receive $785,000 from the province for policing

Dec 1, 2022 | 3:34 PM

The City of North Battleford will receive $785,000 to continue funding seven policing positions. The funding is through the Municipal Police Grants program for 2022-23.

In a media release, the province said the grant will be used for targeted policing initiatives. One of the initiatives highlighted is called the Police and Crisis Team (PACT). The PACT is made up of police officers and mental health workers, and they provide a coordinated response to people experiencing mental health crisis.

The city of North Battleford received $770,000 from the same grant program for the last fiscal year. On Tuesday, city council discussed its policing budget at length during their budget deliberations. The draft policing budget for 2022-23 has earmarked $6,320,084 for policing services. The bulk of the money for policing is for the RCMP contract and covers 37 RCMP members.

North Battleford Mayor David Gillan says the grant helps the city target crime.

“The province’s funding offsets some of the costs of municipal policing, enabling the city to direct support into other community safety initiatives that contribute to lowering the area’s crime rate,” he said.

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Gillan went on to say the city is grateful for the funding.

Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill, on behalf of Corrections, Policing, and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell, said the grant helps the city.

“This continued investment provides our police service with much-needed resources as they work to keep our community safe,” he said.

The Municipal Police Grants program has been in place since 1998. It currently funds 141 municipal polices positions across Saskatchewan. The grant comes through the Ministry of Corrections, Policing, and Public Safety.

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ian.roach@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @IanRoachSK