The Saskatoon Police Service saw a dramatic increase in the number of times officers had to use force last year.
A report from the police service showed in 2017, the number of occurrences requiring force jumped 31 per cent from 2016.
It also notes an increase in armed robberies and weapons offences.
“The prevalence of weapons (guns) on the street and increasing propensity to use them has required a heightened awareness for the public and officer safety and an unprecedented level of tactical deployments,” says the report which will be tabled at a Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Thursday.
The report says in 2017, 40 per cent of all instances involving use of force involved police pursuits.
The increasing amount of force used is being attributed to a growing amount of illicit drug use such as methamphetamines. It means officers are dealing with more violent individuals according to the report.
The police service says each time an officer uses force they are required to document what happened to ensure proper oversight.
Statistics on the use of force is provided each year to the board of police commissioners.
