A Protection and Response Team (PRT) is being created in Saskatchewan in efforts to reduce crime in rural areas.
Justice Minister and Attorney General Gordon Wyant made the announcement Tuesday in response to recommendations made by the Caucus Committee on Crime. The PRT will consist of 258 armed officers who will have arrest and detention powers. Thirty new police positions are being created for the team.
The goals of the PRT include improving police response to emergency calls for services, including property crimes that are in progress; enhancing uniform visibility and presence in rural Saskatchewan; increasing the enforcement of drug trafficking on roadways; enhancing road safety by reducing the number of serious collisions and fatalities. Training is being provided to all officers.
“The security and safety of the people of Saskatchewan is the number one priority of the Ministry of Justice,” Wyant said in a release.
“I would like to thank the Caucus Committee on Crime for their thorough efforts in their province-wide consultations.”
A total of $5.9 million is being invested in the program and other recommendations.
The government is planning to have the PRT fully staffed by the end of this year.