Plan to create provincial police force questioned by RCMP at panel discussion
At a panel discussion on Friday, the Assistant Commissioner of the RCMP, Rhonda Blackmore, questioned Saskatchewan’s plan to create another police force.
The Saskatchewan Marshal Service (SMS) would supplement the work of other police forces in the province but Blackmore suggested the money could be better spent.
“Putting new equipment on the street with a new police service and why is there an advantage to that as opposed to giving those resources to the RCMP? You know we are established, we have buildings and vehicles and equipment and training for our members so we’re just looking for some answers,” she said.
At the meeting of rural municipalities, the crime rate and RCMP response times were identified as concerns.
Ray Orb, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, said they are of the opinion that they need to keep the RCMP in the province.
“That is our preferred service provider as far as policing and if there’s another service out there that the province is willing to pay for to complement that RCMP, we’d certainly like to have a closer look at that,” he said.
The SMS would place 70 additional officers in high crime areas, including rural Saskatchewan.
“This particular unit is not about front line policing. This of not about that. RCMP provide front line policing,” said Christine Tell, minister of policing and public safety.
Saskatchewan is seeking greater autonomy from the federal government in several key areas including immigration, taxation and policing. Creation of a provincial marshal’s service could be another step towards Saskatchewan’s goal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How more than 100 women realized they may have dated, been deceived by the same man
An Ontario man is being accused of changing his name, profession and life story multiple times to potentially more than 100 women online before leaving some out thousands of dollars.

Mother charged with sexual abuse of toddler in Edmonton area after FBI tip
A Strathcona County toddler has been rescued from suspected sexual exploitation, and the child's mother has been charged, police said.
LeBron James becomes NBA's all-time scoring leader, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
LeBron James is the NBA's new career scoring leader. With a stepback jump shot with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, James pushed his career total to 38,388 points on Tuesday night and broke the record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly four decades.
Biden in State of Union urges U.S. Congress: 'Finish the job'
U.S. President Joe Biden exhorted Congress Tuesday night to work with him to 'finish the job' of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he delivered a State of the Union address aimed at reassuring a country beset by pessimism and fraught political divisions.
Fears grow for untold numbers buried by Turkiye earthquake as deaths pass 7,700
Rescuers raced against time early Wednesday to pull survivors from the rubble before they succumbed to cold weather two days after an earthquake tore through southern Turkiye and war-ravaged northern Syria. The death toll climbed above 7,700 and was expected to rise further.
Canadian military plane heads home after two surveillance flights over Haiti
A Canadian Armed Forces surveillance plane was heading home on Tuesday after two intelligence-collecting flights over Haiti.
On list of 50 'most Instagrammable' places, only 1 is in Canada
A new ranking by global travel site Big 7 Travel has revealed the most Instagrammable places for people to visit in 2023, but only one Canadian location, Banff, is among them.
Spy balloon part of a broader Chinese military surveillance operation, U.S. intel sources tell CNN
U.S. intelligence officials believe that the recently recovered Chinese spy balloon is part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, according to multiple American officials familiar with the intelligence.
From $55 to $130: Which Canadians plan to spend the most this Valentine's Day?
As Valentine's Day approaches, many Canadians are preparing to celebrate by taking their loved ones to dinner and buying them gifts, but how much are we spending on this day coast to coast?