Saskatchewan promises money for Mounties if RCMP can recruit officers

Saskatchewan and the RCMP have inked a deal that would see the province fund hundreds more officers if Mounties can recruit to fill those positions.

Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, the commanding officer for Saskatchewan’s RCMP, says it’s a game-changer for the force, which has long been understaffed.

She says RCMP were stuck in a loop — Mounties could not fill positions without promised funding, but the province couldn’t commit dollars without having officers on the ground.

At the beginning of this year, Saskatchewan’s officers-per-capita ratio was at its lowest point in decades.

Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman says Saskatchewan would pay for around 250 positions if RCMP can recruit them.

Merriman says $7.7 million has been earmarked for 50 officers in the first year, and it is in addition to dollars dedicated to policing in the provincial budget released last month.