Saskatoon police chief says spending needed to 'keep up with calls'
Police Chief Troy Cooper says money earmarked for Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) in the proposed city budget will go towards hiring more staff.
The preliminary budget released on Tuesday, recommends $119.7 million next year and $124.6 million in 2023 for SPS — the largest amount of the city’s service spending.
“The primary concern for us right now is the growth of the city. Saskatoon is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada. And so for our frontline officers to be able to keep up with those calls for service, we simply need to be able to increase resources to match the demand for service,” Cooper told CTV News.
Eight new police positions are set to be added in 2022 and four new positions in 2023, according to the proposed multi-year budget.
Cooper said the service is seeing an increase in violent crimes, overdose calls and cyber-related offences.
One of the new roles, a tech crimes special constable, “will help the SPS keep up with the growing and complex investigations where support is required,” according to the proposed budget.
For the first time since 2010, a forensic identification constable would be added in Saskatoon.
Cooper said the constable would be responsible for collecting evidence at crime scenes, often presented at court.
The budget also shows the police workforce isn’t hitting its diversity goals.
SPS has a target to have Indigenous people represent 14 per cent of its force.
But in 2020, only nine per cent of the workforce was Indigenous — a slight drop from the 2019 data, where 10 per cent of the workforce was Indigenous.
Still, SPS identified it is on-track to meet its “representative workforce” goals.
Cooper said SPS has an equity and inclusion director who focuses on ensuring the recruitment practices and employment policies “reflect the community, so that (SPS has) strong community confidence.”
City council has the final say on spending and can make changes to the proposed budget before approving it.
Council will make its final decisions on the budget during meetings scheduled to run from from Nov. 29 – Dec. 1.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Canada Post’s newest stamp features special cookies for Islamic holiday
Canada Post’s newest specialty stamps feature “melt-in-your-mouth” desserts to mark two Islamic festivals, the crown corporation announced Thursday.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6 per cent in January as Quebec strikes end
Canada's real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December, Statistics Canada said Thursday.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.