Sask. Highway Patrol set to join rural crime response team

Come Canada Day, Saskatchewan’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers will have a new name.

And a new sidearm.

The province is rebranding the service as the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol. The 30-officer crew will then join the new Protection and Response Team (PRT) aimed at reducing rural crime.

As of July 1, the officers will be hitting the road with expanded responsibilities and will begin carrying firearms while on duty.

“It will allow us to actually deal with a situation ourselves and not have to wait for backup,” officer Sean Mustatia said.

Highway patrol members will have the power to:

Respond to 911 calls
Investigate impaired drivers
Enforce speed limits and other traffic violations inside and outside of work zones
Act when seeing someone committing an offence
Respond to motor vehicle collisions
Investigate vehicles with livestock to check on the welfare of the animals

Highways and Infrastructure deputy minister Fred Antunes said the re-branding was meant to remove any confusion about the officers’ new authority.

“The question of ‘why are you stopping me? Why are you in my house?’ that kind of goes away, because it’s a name that’s more recognized with being a police officer,” he said.

Media were invited to a firing range near Outlook Thursday as the officers got training for handling high-risk traffic stops and 911 calls.

Out at a firing range where Commercial Vehicle Enforcement is being trained to be part of provincial response team as of July 1. This exercise aimed at training officers to resist distraction. #sask pic.twitter.com/OyIb5sOrqI

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) June 14, 2018

Trainers devised situations to test the officers’ ability to protect against attackers in a traffic stop, even when distracted, and to disarm people without violence.

Wax bullets were used while pairs went through exercises to detain actors in the different scenarios.

Here's another drill where officers were tested against an intoxicated man with a knife. Non-violent resolution. Ministry of Highways says their officers will have same level of training as any police officer. They'll carry guns as of July 1. #sask pic.twitter.com/L5Sf6uEBaN

— Chris Vandenbreekel (@Vandecision) June 14, 2018

Antunes said the high-risk situation training was identified as a gap separating commercial vehicle enforcers from RCMP and municipal police officers.

But by July 1, he said there will be no difference.

“Our officers have the same training,” he said.

Because of the skill set required, Antunes said future officers may be recruited from police colleges.

The training is being paid for within the existing Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure budget.