PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – A new Saskatchewan police agency has sworn in its first 10 officers, it said Monday.
The Saskatchewan Marshals Service said the officers are undergoing seven weeks of training before they start working later this year.
The training includes firearms education, defensive tactics, emergency casualty care, high-risk vehicle stops, trauma-informed policing and Indigenous culture.
“Training is the key to excellence and we are ensuring our team is prepared, capable and ready to serve throughout the province of Saskatchewan,” Rich Lowen, the deputy chief of enforcement, said in a press release.
The province created the service to assist RCMP and other law enforcement in combating rural crime, gangs, illegal weapons and drugs.
The National Police Federation, the union representing Mounties, has criticized the marshals service for possible job poaching and reshuffling policing resources.
The service said none of its first 10 officers were previously Saskatchewan Mounties. It added it has hired one B.C. Mountie who’s expected to start in the fall.
There are to be 70 marshals next year when the team is fully operational.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2025.
