Emokhare Paul Anthony
Daily Herald.
Crime stats released on Monday show an increase in homicide victims, rates of violent firearm offences, and assaults have all gone up in areas served by RCMP detachments.
In the last 10 years, the Saskatchewan RCMP have seen homicide victims increase by 275 per cent, the rate of violent firearm offences increase by 271 per cent, the number of assaults on RCMP officers increase by 79 per cent and number of assault offences increased by 33 per cent, according to Saskatchewan RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore.
For example, the investigation into the murder of Tiki Laverdiere involved more than 100 RCMP investigators, and resulted in 10 people being charged.
“I’m a firm believer in transparency and continuing to share the Saskatchewan RCMP
story with our partners and the communities we serve – the positives and the challenges.
The reality of the situation is that crime continues to increase across Saskatchewan
RCMP jurisdiction,” said Blackmore.
RCMP officers police about 46 per cent of Saskatchewan’s population, according to the statistics, but the RCMP is responding and investigating 60 per cent of the total Criminal Code
violations in the province and 65 per cent of violent crime. Blackmore said it’s important to understand how complex investigations are, and how criminal activity in Saskatchewan.
“We’re committed to continuing our aggressive recruiting efforts to attract new RCMP officers
to Saskatchewan. We have changed our practices so that if you are recruited to the RCMP
from Saskatchewan and want to return to Saskatchewan, you are able to do that and have the
opportunity to have a positive impact in your home province,” said Blackmore.
Recently the Provincial Government has committed to funding a full complement of 1,047 RCMP officers. Blackmore said this commitment will ensures the resources needed to help keep Saskatchewan communities safe.
“While we work to fill these positions, we are doing what we can to alleviate pressures on
our detachments,” she added. “We’ve implemented strategies to respond to increasing workload, crime and complexity of duties. This includes temporary amalgamations of some RCMP detachments, using new and innovative tools – such as unmanned aerial vehicles to enhance our policing techniques, and shifting resources to ensure workloads are manageable.”
While Blackmore welcomed the province’s commitment to recruitment, she reiterated that law enforcement is just one part of the solution for decreasing crime.
“Social issues like substance addiction, gangs, and the absence of community resources are some of the root causes of crime. These issues are complex and take a concerted,
multi-agency response. The Saskatchewan RCMP is dedicated to continuing to work with our partner agencies to ensure we can support and contribute to positive change in Saskatchewan,” she said.
Saskatchewan RCMP coverless than half of Saskatchewan’s population, but almost two thirds of the Criminal Code violations in this province were responded to and investigated by RCMP officers.
“It goes without saying that each community is different and has unique policing needs,” Blackmore said. “Ongoing partnership and collaboration with local leadership allow us to identify what challenges the community is faced with. We are committed to working with our communities to address those unique policing needs in our communities throughout Saskatchewan.”
On Friday, Blackmore has called on the community member to reach out to the local RCMP detachment to say thank you for the good work in keeping the community safe of crime.
“Give them a thanks for the hard work they’re doing to keep communities safe,” she said during a press conference in Regina. “These small messages go a long way in making our employees feel appreciated and helps build those important community relationships that ultimately help to counter criminal activity.”
Blackmore said In Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction, crime rates have remained high and are continuing to increase. An overall provincial downward trend in crime rate has been noted, however, this is the result of crime rates decreasing for other Saskatchewan police services such as Regina Police Service, Saskatoon Police Service, Moose Jaw Police Service.
The Saskatchewan RCMP is responsible for policing 99.9 per cent of the total area and 46 per cent of the total population of Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan RCMP is comprised of three districts: North, Central and South.
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
