In the 18 months leading up to the end of August, there were just over 17,800 arrests where people were brought into Saskatoon Police Service Detention and 31 per cent of those were only booked in because they were intoxicated by drugs or alcohol in public. They hadn’t committed a crime but had to be incarcerated because they were in a vulnerable state, unable to care for themselves, and there were no alternate community supports available.

This comes from a report to the Board of Police Commissioners which explains that the only other option is the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s Brief Detox Unit, which has 15 beds, but six are earmarked for more long-term clients, so there are only nine beds available for transfer from police. which means no admittance for four people a night on average. From the number of people picked up for being intoxicated, 52 per cent are unhoused.

Commissioner Shirley Greyeyes noted that only nine per cent of Saskatoon’s population is Indigenous and yet the top ten people who had been arrested the most for being intoxicated for both drugs and alcohol are Indigenous. She stated that it is sad and incomprehensible in this day and age that we are still seeing this.
Superintendent of Patrol, Darren Pringle, says from the case studies listed in the report, there were people who would commit low-grade offences because they needed a place to stay.

The closure of the Lighthouse Stabilization Units took away 30 to 33 beds. The province has announced a 15-bed facility for people with complex needs. Police Chief Troy Cooper says there is often no other place for people with complex needs to go but the safety that police provide is temporary and it’s not the appropriate place for people who have mental health needs.

“You can clearly see from this report that traditional policing methods are not effective – writing tickets, charging someone with trespassing, minor criminal offences – we need other solutions.”