Coun. Daniel Brown says he still wants more information after a written police response to his inquiry about whether the Prince Albert Police Service refused assistance from the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.
Brown first raised the inquiry at the June 22 city council meeting. The written response was later included with council inquiry response materials for the July 20 meeting.
In the written inquiry, Brown asked whether PAPS had received and refused an offer of support and services from the Marshals Service, and if so, why the offer would have been refused. The inquiry response sheet said Chief Patrick Nogier provided the response.
Nogier responded in a memo to City Manager Craig Guidinger dated July 6. He said the inquiry did not provide enough information to identify the specific incident, communication, operational matter or timeframe being referenced.
“As presented, the inquiry does not contain sufficient information to allow for an informed response,” Nogier wrote.
Nogier said PAPS and the Saskatchewan Marshals Service have established a positive and professional working relationship since the Marshals Service became operational. He said the two organizations maintain regular communication and have worked together on operational initiatives where their mandates intersect.
Nogier also wrote that requests for operational assistance, information sharing and coordinated enforcement activities are assessed based on the circumstances of each matter. He said those decisions can involve mandates, legislative authority, jurisdiction, investigative integrity, operational priorities and available resources.
Brown said in an interview Monday, Aug. 3, that he raised the inquiry after hearing concerns from people connected to policing. He said the issue was not about one specific incident at this stage, but a broader concern about whether Prince Albert is making full use of available policing resources.
“If we’ve been offered help from another police service, why would we refuse that?” Brown said.
Brown said his concern is that Prince Albert is often looking for more policing resources, while another service may be available to help with issues such as traffic, impaired driving or other enforcement work.
Brown’s inquiry comes after months of council discussion about policing costs, public safety and the need for more enforcement resources in Prince Albert. Council has also dealt with related issues involving encampments, drug activity, downtown safety concerns and the cost of police operations. Brown said that context is part of why he wants to know whether the city is making full use of available provincial policing resources.
He said he was not satisfied with Nogier’s written response and plans to gather more specific information before raising the matter further.
“I’m going to take it to the city manager to have a discussion with the chief, and see if more clear dates provides him a better idea what I’m talking about,” Brown said.
Brown said he still wants clarification from PAPS and administration, and said he is working to determine whether people who raised concerns with him are willing to go on the record.
“It’s not a dead issue with me yet,” he said.
Nogier’s memo said he would welcome the opportunity to review further details if Brown is referring to a particular occurrence, request for assistance or communication involving the Saskatchewan Marshals Service, subject to legal, privacy or operational considerations.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
