There’s a call for more help in northern Saskatchewan, but this time it’s from RCMP.
A series of leaked internal emails obtained by 650 CKOM/980 CJME show senior commanders asking for more officers in La Ronge, Stanley Mission, and Wollaston Lake.
READ MORE: Premier Brad Wall concerned about RCMP staffing in northern Saskatchewan
“I hate to say that I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel but I can’t. We are in dire straits,” Supt. Grant St. Germaine said in an email dated Nov. 3.
When police need to do an ambulance escort, there aren’t enough officers to respond, according to the emails.
The north has an RCMP vacancy rate of about 15 per cent, or about 42 members, while parts of the south have a vacancy rate of eight per cent, according to emails.
RCMP normally operate with vacancy rates between four to six per cent, Drew Wilby, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson, said.
“This obviously shows some acute vacancies in northern Saskatchewan as well as some in the south as well,” Wilby said.
“The vacancy rate in particular and where it is, that would be an operational thing for the RCMP to provide an answer for.”
Wilby said the province funds 924 RCMP positions, up from about 787 five years ago. When a vacant position is not filled, it’s not funded, he said.
Premier Brad Wall said Wednesday that he had previously asked the attorney general to speak with RCMP about its numbers.
“We’ve been funding more police officers and a lot more police officers, including in the RCMP, since 2007, and I think it’s reasonable that municipal leaders, urban and rural, know where they are. And I’d like to know where they are,” he said.
The Ministry of Justice said it will work closely with RCMP to ensure community safety is a top priority.
“We want to talk to them about their staffing model. Maybe there are some changes they need to make in terms of how that works,” Wilby said.
“Those are operational decisions that the RCMP does make that the province wouldn’t interfere with, but we can provide some advice.”
RCMP said in a statement that they do suffer from human resource pressures from time to time, but continue to be well-positioned to respond in a timely manner to calls where peoples’ safety may be threatened.
RCMP also said when detachments have a staffing shortage, the division can use the provincial relief unit, redeploy resources or use the reservist program.
Below is the internal RCMP emails obtained by 980 CJME and 650 CKOM: