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A new partnership means police officers across Saskatchewan will receive special training this fall to help them identify and combat human trafficking.
On Tuesday, the Saskatchewan justice ministry announced that it will provide $100,000 to the #NotInMyCity initiative started by country musician, Paul Brandt. The funds will see staff members from the International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators provide the special training to Mounties, municipal police officers, marshals, highway transportation officers and Indigenous police forces.
Read more:
- Hospitality Saskatchewan training workers to spot and report human trafficking
- Sask. RCMP encourages recognizing and reporting human trafficking
- ‘In our backyard:’ Sask. advocate says human trafficking more common than it appears
“The training will be delivered in the fall and will focus on strengthening investigative capacity, victim-centered practices and inter-agency coordination for frontline officers,” the ministry explained in a statement.
Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan’s justice minister and attorney general, said Brandt’s organization hosted a forum on human trafficking in Saskatoon for law enforcement officers last spring. The new agreement will build on that partnership.
“The funding being provided here and the training it will deliver are a continuation of that relationship and a firm example of the work Saskatchewan is undertaking to eliminate human trafficking in our province,” McLeod said in a statement.
Brandt, who founded #NotInMyCity in 2017, said human trafficking is a complex crime that can be hard to detect, meaning the right training for police is crucial.
“With the support of the Government of Saskatchewan, this partnership will bring practical training to law enforcement across the province, building investigative capacity, advancing victim-centred approaches and strengthening coordination that can make a difference for survivors,” Brandt said in a statement.
“Protecting people across Saskatchewan from the harms of human trafficking requires strong partnerships and a shared commitment to action,” added Community Safety Minister, Michael Weger
“By enhancing training for frontline officers, we are strengthening how agencies work together to identify these crimes, support victims and hold offenders accountable.”
The funding is coming through the National Plan to End Gender-based Violence. According to the provincial government, Saskatchewan is getting $20.3 million in federal funding through the plan between 2023 and 2027.
“Human trafficking has no place in Saskatchewan, and our government is taking concrete action to stop it,” said Alana Ross, Saskatchewan’s minister responsible for the status of women.
“Partnerships like #NotInMyCity are critical to building safer communities and protecting some of our most vulnerable people.”
Earlier this month, the province announced $115,000 in funding for Hospitality Saskatchewan, in order to train workers in the sector to spot the warning signs for human trafficking and respond appropriately.
