Province provides $4.6 million in funding to the Regina Police Service

REGINA – The Province of Saskatchewan will be providing $4.6 million in Municipal Police Grants to the Regina Police Force, covering 39 positions for the RPS.

“Our government is focused on community safety,” Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell said.

“This grant and the positions it funds provides the support needed to those working to protect Regina neighbourhoods and families.”

Municipal Police Grant funding builds on the partnerships between the government and municipal police forces to address the following safety priorities:

• Reducing the victimization and sexual exploitation of children through the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit. ICE members identify victimized children, investigate cases of possession, production, and distribution of child pornography and internet luring, and help prosecute sexual offenders. ICE includes members from RPS, Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) and the RCMP.
• Combatting organized crime and gang activity through the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU). CFSEU’s mandate is to expose, investigate, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute organized crime. It includes members from RPS, SPS, PAPS and the RCMP.
• Holding chronic habitual offenders to account through the Serious and Habitual Offender Comprehensive Action Program (SHOCAP). SHOCAP provides intensive supervision and interagency case planning for designated habitual chronic offenders.

The funding from the province will also support enhanced community and investigative policing initiatives and the Missing Persons Task Force.

“We are grateful for the province’s commitment through the Municipal Police Grants,” Regina Police Service Chief Troy Hagen said.

“These funds provide capacity to acquire specialized skills, carry out complex investigations, hold offenders to account and ultimately enhance community safety and the well-being of individual members of our society.”

This grant will fulfill the government’s promise of 120 new police officers across Saskatchewan.