New Sask. Highway Patrol gives vehicle enforcement officers expanded policing powers

The Saskatchewan government has turned its commercial vehicle enforcement unit into a highway patrol, giving officers new powers to investigate impaired drivers and respond to crimes.

The move is part of the province's creation of a rural crime response team, which will also include 120 RCMP and municipal police officers and 98 provincial conservation officers.

The former vehicle enforcement officers will start carrying firearms for the first time.

New law-enforcement duties

The officers were previously responsible for enforcing laws related to road transportation, licensing, registration and driving for commercial vehicles.

As highway patrol officers, their new expanded duties include responding to 911 calls, investigating impaired drivers, enforcing speed limits, responding to accidents, inspecting the welfare of livestock being transported and "taking action when someone is found committing anoffence."

The plan to create a Protection and Response Team was announced last August following concerns raised by the public about RCMP resources and response times in rural Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) also pushed the provincial government to create more positions for police officers to reduce rural crime.

According to the province, the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol will act as a support to the police service.

He said the RCMP joined a SARM tour of rural Saskatchewan where theydiscussed how the Protection and Response Team is expected to reduce rural crime.

Although he still believes more RCMP officers are needed, Orb said he is confident the new highway patrol officers have received sufficient training to prepare them for their expanded policing duties.

"I don't know if it's so much of a leap as in essence they are actually doing some of this work already," he said.

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations last year voiced itsopposition to the decision to arm more officers, saying it was "excessive" and would not help relations between officers and Indigenous people.

The province said the highway patrol officers have received extensive trainingin the enhanced use of force, firearms and tactics for 911 calls, such as clearing a house of suspects and high-risk vehicle stops.

Officers have also received training to help them deal with people with mental health issues, training in the Criminal Code, and they have learned the requirements for the collection and control of evidence.