The government is introducing policing initiatives in the Saskatchewan Legislature which were announced in the Throne Speech. The legislation is aimed at high profile offenders.

The Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST) will be based in Saskatoon and Meadow Lake and will work with RCMP and municipal police services. The team will consist of 10 permanent positions, including eight RCMP police officer positions, one criminal analyst, and one administrative support position. The Team will focus on high-profile offenders who have outstanding warrants for their arrest or who are in violation of conditions imposed on them by the courts.

EM GPS will allow police to monitor offenders and identify when they have violated the limits set on where they are allowed to go. It relies on a network of satellites that tracks and records the individual’s location and movements throughout the course of the day.

The province will invest $370,000 in WEST in 2021-22, and $1.6 million each subsequent fiscal year. The EM GPS initiative will receive $673,000 in 2021-22 and will have an ongoing annual cost of $1.3 million in each subsequent year.

Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell says. “These measures combine enforcement and prevention to ensure the safety of our citizens and prevent high-profile offenders from committing additional crimes.”