The top RCMP officer in Saskatchewan says Mounties are striving to reduce the number of murdered and missing aboriginal women in the province.
An RCMP report released last week found that 153 aboriginal women were murdered in Saskatchewan between 1980 and 2012.
Aboriginals accounted for 55 per cent of female homicide victims in Saskatchewan – the highest percentage among the provinces.
Assistant Commissioner Brenda Butterworth-Carr says the RCMP is working to reduce that “disproportionate” number.
“Within the RCMP as an organization, we certainly work very well with our colleagues to ensure that we’re addressing this,” Butterworth-Carr said at a news conference Wednesday.
“Overall, when you look at the outstanding investigations, we have very few. Our solve rates are significant within the province of Saskatchewan.”
The report shows 92 per cent of homicide cases involving aboriginal female victims in Saskatchewan were solved.
The solve rate for homicide cases involving non-aboriginal female victims in the province was slightly higher at 94 per cent.
There are currently 13 unsolved homicides in which the victims were aboriginal women in Saskatchewan, and another 16 aboriginal women remain missing.
Butterworth-Carr said the RCMP and other agencies are working together on prevention initiatives that include targeting high-risk behaviour among youths.
“We’ve got a lot of great partnerships with most of our communities across Saskatchewan,” Butterworth-Carr said.
“Can we certainly get better at it? Absolutely. There’s a full recognition of that.”
