Saskatchewan adds officers to try to tackle concern about growing crime
REGINA — Saskatchewan is adding more police positions, giving other officers more power and will lobby for a crackdown on young offenders to try to tackle growing crime rates, especially in rural areas.
Justice Minister Gord Wyant said Tuesday that the government will create a new protection and response team to help reduce crime in rural Saskatchewan.
The team would be comprised of 258 armed officers, but only 30 are new police positions. Forty highway commercial vehicle enforcement officers will be armed and, along with conservation officers who already carry guns, will be able to respond to calls and make arrests.
That means conservation officers could be called to break and enters if they were closer to the scene than the RCMP.