Board of Police Commissioners Working to Create a Culture of Community Safety in Saskatoon

Across North America, Canada, Saskatchewan, and Saskatoon, citizens are raising their voices in protest to racism and inequality. The Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners supports the constitutional right to protest, and last week our citizens demonstrated that Saskatoon is indeed a community where our citizens are able to speak out in a peaceful manner.

The Police Commission condemns racism of all kinds, against all persons. We value the diversity that makes up our community and we stand in solidarity with all citizens against racism and hate. Here in Saskatoon, we know many people have experienced racism, particularly within the Indigenous community.

The Police Commission is an independent governing body, made up of both elected officials and community members. Our role is to provide police governance and oversight to ensure the Saskatoon Police Service delivers the greatest possible value to our citizens. Specifically, the Commission hires the police chief, approves police service budgets, oversees the performance of the service, and facilitates the sharing of public feedback and complaints made against the service.

Our core mission is to strengthen the culture of community safety in Saskatoon. Community safety is also the vision of the Saskatoon Police Service, and in their recently released Strategic Plan, the Service updated their mission statement to include police as being part of the community. There is a strong recognition among both the Board and the Service that a culture of community safety can only be achieved by working together.

For the last number of years, we have been working hard to engage the community in policing, and to strengthen relationships between the public and the police. It is our job to continually speak up about matters that fragment those relationships. It is also our role to listen and to understand.

We do this through our annual community consultations, where the public is invited to join us in discussing crime and community safety in our neighbourhoods, and to learn about strategies that are being used by city-wide and community-based groups to enhance community safety. Our monthly meetings are open to the public, and we invite citizens to learn about how the Commission is working together with the Police Service to advance community safety in meaningful and impactful ways.

We know there is still much to do to improve community safety. When the community speaks, we will listen and learn. As a Board, we will continue to advance these conversations and to engage with the public, with the ultimate goal of making way for change in our society that will strengthen the culture of community safety in Saskatoon.