At the last analysis, there was a 13.6 per cent vacancy rate for police officer positions in Saskatchewan. (File photo/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

commitment

RCMP working to address vacancies across Sask.

Aug 20, 2025 | 12:41 PM

The Saskatchewan RCMP say they value their partnership with Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) leadership for their continued commitment to the safety of their communities.

The statement comes after the First Nation released a community notice last week after the shooting death of an 18-year-old man in Pelican Narrows on Aug. 16.

“PBCN leadership continues to call for RCMP vacancies to be filled and for more specialized policing resources in the community,” the notice reads.

“The Nation has also introduced new safety measures, including technology and prevention programs, but long-term solutions will require full commitment from all levels of government to address the root causes of its community challenges.”

An email from the Saskatchewan RCMP to larongeNOW explained the RCMP’s foremost priority is the safety and security of the communities they serve, and their officers. While the RCMP does not provide staffing numbers at specific detachments for officer safety reasons, they acknowledge there are vacancies at Saskatchewan RCMP detachments, including Pelican Narrows.

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At the last analysis, there was a 13.6 per cent vacancy rate for police officer positions in the Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction.

“It’s important for us to point out that vacancy numbers do not provide the full picture as numbers change frequently. We regularly analyze workloads, crime trends and deploy our resources accordingly,” the email notes, adding staffing strategies are in place to address vacancies in both the short and the long-term.

“For instance, teams of Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services relief officers have been deploying to Pelican Narrows to increase the number of police officers in the community this summer. We are also actively recruiting new RCMP officers from Saskatchewan, particularly from Indigenous communities, who want to stay here and help keep our communities safe.”

The email states it is also important to note that because the RCMP is the provincial police service, communities receive specialized police services that supplement the work of frontline police officers. Those services include the Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams, Critical Incident Response Team, Police Dog Services, Indigenous Policing Services, Major Crimes and more.

There is currently a team of specialized Major Crimes investigators in Pelican Narrows working to determine who is responsible for a recent death of a young man in the community.

larongeNOW reached out to PBCN leadership for comment on this article, but didn’t receive a response by publishing.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com