Sask. Marshals Service launch raises staffing concerns in Battlefords

Gilbert answered that he doesn’t expect any of his members to be affected by the upcoming SMS launch. However, since the discussions are still in the early stages, he is not yet aware of what the new force will be “offering.”

“I think we have a meeting coming up in January, potentially to meet with them. I think there is potential that they could help, and I guess that’s going to depend on what their duties are,” Gilbert noted.

He went on to note that the labour shortage hinders their ability to secure personnel to protect crime scenes and preserve evidence, saying if the Marshals could help with scene security, it would “take a huge burden off of us.”

Gilbert explained that the most significant impact often arises from unforeseen events, such as incidents like homicides, which pose challenges for ensuring scene security, as the short-staffed detachment must juggle regular patrol duties while also securing the crime scenes.

“So we just had a homicide a few days ago, then scene security became an issue because we are trying to cover watches, but now we also are trying to cover scenes that tend to be where we get the most acute stress, or periods where multiple people are going off sick,” he said.

“That’s something we consistently struggle with, is trying to have members cover for two or three days on the scene.”

According to a release, SMS will address gang activity, rural crime, illegal weapons and drugs, apprehending high-risk individuals, and investigating agricultural matters.

“The Saskatchewan Marshals Service will stand as an innovative, responsive and community-engaged approach to the complex modern challenges facing policing services in the province,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman said in a release.

Earlier than expected

In June 2024, Saskatchewan announced progress toward the SMS’s operational launch by the end of 2026, allocating $7 million in the 2024-25 budget. Once operational, the annual budget will increase to $20 million.

As it is expected to hit the ground by next year, Leslie believes the provincial government wanted to “fast-track” the start.

“It wasn’t supposed to be for some time,” he said. “So what we all thought was kind of a year out, or maybe a little bit more into 2026 and all of a sudden, we’re going to start to see these Marshals Service come into our communities as early as April, May or June.”

Reflecting on the moment he asked Gilbert whether he was concerned that it might draw personnel away from the local RCMP, he explained that his uncertainty stemmed from not knowing where the additional workforce would come from.

“If it’s stealing from our existing police forces, then that causes a bigger problem for me, right across this community and right across this province,” he noted.

“But if the Marshals services are effective and recruiting new people, you know, that isn’t taking away from the everyday people who are working in our towns and cities, I’m good with that. But it’s yet to be determined as to how they’re going staff their service,” he explained.

As they move forward, Gilbert and Leslie anticipate gaining more insights and developing a broader understanding of the SMS’s role in municipal policing.

“We don’t know what their demand is going to be, and what their scale of work is going to be, their scope of work, but we have meetings coming up that have been scheduled with me and other leadership in the area, so we’ll get some more answers here shortly,” Leslie said.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Sask. Marshals Service launch raises staffing concerns in Battlefords

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