Regina police rely on the help of search and rescue volunteers for some major missing persons cases: one of the most recent is the search for Brandy Wesaquate.
“They will either find the evidence or that person you are looking for, or that that person or evidence isn’t there, so they add that level of expertise and that confidence to a search,” said Elizabeth Popowich, spokesperson for the Regina Police Service.
However, as of early last week, the Regina chapter of the Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers (SARSAV) has been suspended – and with very little explanation.
In a statement, the association’s president said the matter is confidential surrounding a complaint of “internal irregularities.”
“And as such I am unable to speak further on the matter at this time,” wrote Justin Capp.
“It isn’t very often that we need Search and Rescue Regina, but when we do, we really do and they provide a valuable service for us,” said Popowich.
Professional volunteers are used by both the Regina Police Service and the RCMP – and both services say the suspension is a big loss.
“It sounds like it’s a fairly straightforward activity: we’re going to go look for someone, but it’s actually fairly technical. There’s a lot of science involved and a lot of research involved,” explained Hugh McLaughlan, program manager for and policy and governance at Ministry of Justice.
Volunteers are well-trained in navigation, search areas, the psychology of a missing person and organizing other volunteers who have no training, but they aren’t first responders. McLaughlan said Regina has other options: “There are other chapters of SARSAV that are close; Moose Jaw’s close, Gravelbourg has a chapter, and Saskatoon has a chapter.”
“It is very likely that we would reach out to the RCMP because they also have resources available to them,” added Popowich.
Comments