12 lives saved by Saskatoon alternative response officers over past year, report says

Lifesaving doses of anti-overdose drugs have been delivered by Alternative Response Officers (AROs) to 12 people over the past year, according to a city report.

That's one of the details contained in a report prepared for the Board of Police Commissioners which recommends that AROs become a permanent part of the Saskatoon Police Service.

The ARO program was launched as a trial in June with the unarmed officers wearing distinctive uniforms responding to "lower intensity" tasks.

In their first year, AROs responded to 6700 such calls, the report says, which allowed regular police officers to respond to "higher threat, crime-focused matters."

As the data has shown, performance by the AROs has exceeded the initial project aspirations across all categories," the report says.

The report will be reviewed by the Board during Thursday's meeting.