Premier Brad Wall says he is concerned about reports of serious RCMP staff shortages in some communities in northern Saskatchewan.
Wall was responding to internal RCMP emails obtained by radio station CKOM that indicate some Mountie detachments in the region are operating well below full strength.
One memo says they are running out of people and are in “dire straits.”
RCMP Supt. Kris Vibe says they sometimes operate with fewer officers due to retirements, people being away on leave or training courses and redeployment.
He says the RCMP does the best it can with the people they have and that staffing levels are ultimately a provincial and municipal funding responsibility.
Wall says with crime rates up his government plans to speak with the RCMP about staffing levels.
“The provincial government has as its provincial police force the RCMP – there is a contract between the government on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan and the RCMP,” Wall said in Regina Wednesday.
“If that contract is not being able to be fulfilled for whatever reason in terms of numbers, in terms of officers, you bet that that is a concern.”
On Wednesday, the RCMP in Saskatchewan released a statement that said since it operates with a finite number of resources, it does experience human resource pressures from time to time.
“Those pressures vary week-to-week and detachment-to-detachment. At any given time, there are a small number of positions unfilled as employees come and go. However, the pressure can build when additional people are away on parental leave, medical leave, training leave or holidays,” RCMP F Division said in a statement.
When staffing shortages happen, the RCMP said it will turn to its province-wide relief unit, redeploy resources and utilize its reservist program, which are retired RCMP members who can fill in.
The RCMP would not confirm specific staffing numbers in the province’s detachments to “ensure the safety of front-line members and of the public.”
“If those intent on committing crime had access to this information, it could provide them with an advantage and potentially put our officers or members of the public at risk,” the RCMP said.
“The safety and security of the people we serve – along with the safety of our members – is our top priority. We manage and deploy our resources as best we can to deliver on that commitment. We continue to be well-positioned to respond in a timely and effective manner to calls where peoples’ safety may be threatened.”
Below is the internal RCMP emails obtained by 980 CJME and 650 CKOM:
With files from Alexa Huffman
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