Saskatoon’s high rate of intimate partner violence prompts police response team

Saskatoon’s rate of intimate partner violence shot up 14 per cent in 2023.

That’s according to a report slated for Thursday’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting from the Saskatoon Police Service that says Saskatchewan has a disproportionately high rate of intimate partner violence compared with other provinces.

“Saskatchewan reported 732 reports of IPV reported to police, per 100,000 population. This is 99 cases higher than Manitoba who is listed in second,” the report said.

Police said due to these high rates of intimate partner violence, an IPV response team is in the works to offer a proactive response in the community.

They said this program is planned to be in place next year with key objectives to offer in-person victim support, offender management, a working collaboration with community stakeholders and off-site reporting locations for victims.

The report said intimate partner violence can happen in many forms of relationships, whether it’s within a marriage or dating and regardless of gender or sexual orientation, and can happen after a relationship has ended and whether or not partners live together or are sexually intimate with each other.

The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) said intimate partner violence often happens in private locations but can occur within public spaces as well.

It said this violence can occur online and in several different forms, including physical abuse, criminal harassment like stalking, sexual violence, financial abuse and coercive control.

The report highlighted that out of the 720 incidents reported last year, 535 of them resulted in charges.

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The SPS said four of the 12 homicides reported in the city last year had an intimate partner violence component linked to the investigation. It said three of the charged individuals were men, and the fourth was a woman.

Calls for service to the SPS related to intimate partner violence would fall under a domestic or domestic in progress. The SPS noted that these calls don’t solely encompass calls related to intimate partner violence, but the number of overall calls has been increasing year over year.

The report discussed several proactive approaches to intimate partner violence available in Saskatoon and the province.

Clare’s Law, or the Interpersonal Violence Disclosure Protocol, allows eligible people in Saskatchewan to request information from law enforcement agencies about their partner’s history of violent or abusive behaviour.

“By offering access to such information, the law provides individuals with knowledge to make informed decisions in their relationships and to identify any potential risks of domestic violence.”

The report said domestic homicide reviews show that a history of intimate partner violence is a major risk factor for reoccurring violence.

Eligible people able to apply for this information include people who are at risk, medical professionals, social workers, lawyers and police officers.

The number of Clare’s Law applications made to the SPS has decreased over the past couple years, with five applications made in 2023, compared with 11 in 2021.

Domestic Violence Court was another measure listed in the report, described as a therapeutic court that offers a domestic violence treatment option for people willing to take accountability for their actions. Options can include a counselling program for domestic violence and addressing potential substance abuse problems.

The SPS said it is also working with the Saskatoon Sexual Assault and Information Centre to create education opportunities for front-line staff, adding that sexualized violence is often a component of intimate partner violence.