The Saskatoon Police Service says the increased number of reported incidents this weekend is normal, and is part of the up-and-down cycle which all police services observe throughout the year.

Police on Friday responded to 240 calls between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. -- a high number but not something that surprises police, said said Saskatoon police spokesperson Alyson Edwards.

There’s usually a “lull” where police activity is quiet for a while before it jumps up again, said Edwards, adding that police over the past couple of months, have had a relatively “quiet” summer.

Edwards said that when spikes do happen, police departments are able to respond to the increased pressure by not only responding to the calls based on priority but also having a “fluid” staffing system.

“We’re able to shift the responsibilities around as they are needed,” she said. “We staff each district according to their needs and if we need to utilize some extra resources, we have weekend support shifts.”

Edwards noted that as Saskatoon’s population continues to grow, the number and types of complaints may change.

“We’re waiting to see how [that growth] will impact our call-load,” she said.

In 2011, Saskatoon police responded to 101,010 complaints.

That number is also impacted by the fact that police have introduced a more open reporting system, said Edwards.

“We have online crime reporting,” explained Edwards. “So if someone has property damage they’d like to report or somebody has been a victim of fraud, you can go online.”

Edwards said, however, that the spike in incidents over the weekend was not the result of crimes being reported online.

“This weekend we had a number of very serious incidents.”

On Friday evening, a 37-year-old Saskatoon man was charged with two offences under the Traffic Safety Act after a cyclist travelling in the area of 8th Street east and Dufferin Avenue was hit by a car.

The cyclist, a 42-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and was treated on the scene, said police.

On Saturday, two people sustained minor injuries after they were pepper sprayed in the 600 block of Idylwyld Drive, said police.

Police said the incident happened after a “brief altercation” between the victims and two suspects, who then fled on foot.

The suspects are described as male and Aboriginal. The first suspect was last seen wearing black jeans, white sneakers, a black hoodie, and a black and white hat.

The second suspect is described as having short, black hair and was last seen wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Saskatoon Police Service at 975-8300, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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