The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is dismayed with the majority of the Saskatchewan government’s recommendations to tackle rural crime.
Saskatchewan Justice Minister Gordon Wyant unveiled the $5.9 million plan on Tuesday to address the issue, which includes more officers to increase uniformed visibility in rural areas, improving call response time and cracking down on drug trafficking.
READ MORE: Province announces team to lower crime in rural Saskatchewan
The FSIN said no elements of their eight recommendations to the province’s crime reduction committee were included.
In a statement, FSIN vice-chief Kimberly Jonathan asked “when will the provincial government listen to those of us who are most in tune with the needs of our First Nations?”
Jonathan said they were hopeful the government would listen to them.
“It seems like it was just a box to check off, to be able to say and wave that flag than we’ve consulted with stakeholders, we’ve consulted with the FSIN,” Jonathan stated.
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She also said she’s concerned the province’s focus is more on enforcement and less on crime prevention.
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“I’m concerned that the province is targeting a vast majority of its resources for this initiative towards enforcement rather than prevention and or intervention and that the creation of Protection and Response Team (PRT) will increase First Nation incarceration rates which are already an international embarrassment,” Jonathan said.
“Sadly, statistics clearly show that it’s our people who fill up the courts, who are held on remand while awaiting trial and who fill up the provincial correctional centres and federal penitentiaries.”
The province has said one of the undertakings they will be implementing is a First Nations led Aboriginal gang strategy.
The PRT will be made up of 120 police officers from RCMP detachments and municipal police services, 40 Ministry of Highways commercial vehicle enforcement officers (CVEO) and 98 conservation officers.
Thirty new police positions are also being created.
With files from David Baxter and Emily Pasiuk
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