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The head of the Saskatchewan RCMP says its staffing issues are presenting a major problem at an inconvenient time for the police force.
The RCMP recently sent out a country-wide internal memo asking for volunteers to work in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
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Assistant commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said the shortage is happening at the same time as an increase in violent crime.
“We’re seeing an increase in those complex crimes, those violent crimes, crimes against persons, and it’s certainly concerning and takes a significant amount of investigation,” Blackmore said.
“I would say it’s like a double hit. Basically, we have the vacancies, but (combining it) with the increasing workloads and complex crime certainly make it much more difficult to to get by with those vacant positions.”
Blackmore said officers from across the country have already expressed interest in providing relief by working in Saskatchewan.
She added that there are also opportunities for officers to permanently transfer to Saskatchewan.
Depending on how the spring goes, the assistant commissioner said the RCMP would consider possibly extending the relief period, should the vacancies remain.
Blackmore said there hasn’t been an example of vacancies like this in recent memory. She said that historically, the RCMP has assigned new officers to the areas with the greatest need, but that’s no longer the case.
“About two years ago, the RCMP changed that practice and instead of sending the cadets places where they may not have wanted to go necessarily or had been one of their top three choices, now the cadets have more say and are essentially selecting where they want to go,” Blackmore said.
“That has caused a shift in resources and some divisions have done quite well as a result of that new practice. Overall, our applications have certainly increased and it is believed at least part of that is attributed to this new practice, but provinces like Saskatchewan and Manitoba haven’t benefited in the same way as other provinces have.”
Blackmore said she doesn’t believe that the Saskatchewan Marshals Service, which is set to launch this summer and has been recruiting experienced officers, has anything to do with the Saskatchewan RCMP’s vacancies.
Blackmore added that out-of-province officers would be compensated for travel expenses.
