A new report heading to the board of police commissioners says there has been a significant increase Saskatoon police chases.
Officers were involved in 148 chases during 2016, 87 more than the previous year prior.
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It was the largest increase in at least eight years.
Of the 148 chases, 90 were aborted due to public safety concerns.
Saskatoon police Chief Clive Weighill said the increase is concerning, but not limited to the city.
“What’s driving a majority of it now right across western Canada is methamphetamine, people that are using the cars to do armed robberies, they’re using the vehicles for break and enters,” Weighill said.
“We’re dealing with people that have been up for sometimes three, four, five days on meth and they’re not really thinking when they’re driving and they’re driving very dangerously.”
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Weighill said one of the biggest issues is that people continue to leave their keys in vehicles, making them easier to steal.
The report noted that 78 chases in 2016 involved stolen vehicles and that there was a 25 per cent increase during the year of vehicles stolen with the keys left inside the vehicle.
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