SIRT will investigate serious incidents involving police, including cases where an officer seriously injures or kills a person during an altercation.
The head of Saskatchewan’s new police watchdog says he will be the first person phoned when law enforcement is involved in serious misconduct.
It’ll be somewhat of a departure from what Greg Gudelot experienced during his time with Alberta’s Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), but one he says gets his team closer to the ground.
“What I can say is there’s a very different workflow,” said Gudelot on Tuesday after the provincial government announced the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has now come into force.
Gudelot acknowledged some of those challenges, but said Saskatchewan’s team will have a different workflow process that should help the province be better equipped.
“When I take that call, I can make the decision about how we engage,” he said. “Our hope is that we’re able to use the flexibility within the Act. The fact that our decision making processes is closer to the ground than in other provinces lets us better manage that workload.”
Investigations will apply to municipal police, RCMP operating in Saskatchewan and special constables, including highway patrol and conservation officers.
Previously, police agencies were tasked with investigating each other when serious incidents occurred. Those investigations were then reviewed by an independent observer.
Gudelot said the intention is for the public to be notified when SIRT begins an investigation.
He said SIRT’s priority is to enhance public confidence in policing, adding that investigations will be done “fairly and openly.”
Casey Ward, the president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers, welcomed the new agency.
He said it’s important for an independent agency to review serious incidents involving police; it can help ensure public trust.
Further, Ward suspects SIRT could help free up resources for police services that had been required to investigate incidents involving police.
He explained police forces in Regina and Saskatoon, as well as RCMP were normally the ones investigating because they have major crimes sections.
“They are very, very time and resource intensive,” Ward said. “So it was taking away from the everyday duties of our members.”
Noting the staffing challenges and high caseloads in Alberta, Ward said SIRT is able to seek help from other police services should it need additional support.
Despite Alberta’s challenges in 2021, ASIRT has since reported a bit of a rebound.
In 2022, the organization managed to close more files than it took after receiving a boost in provincial funding, which its former executive director had long called for.
Gudelot said legislative changes in the neighbouring province also helped, as it aimed to bring decision-making closer to the unit.
As for funding, he said “there’s always been the need to be resource efficient.”
SIRT received $647,000 in provincial funding in the last budget.
“We will prove our work and prove where the resources are needed,” Gudelot said. “That’s going to be shown through the file load and the results we deliver.”
There will be an entire team of six, which includes four investigators, Gudelot and a support staff member. He said he can tap other resources if needed.
SIRT can also appoint a First Nations or Métis community liaison officer in cases where people of such ancestry are involved in an incident. Gudelot also has the discretion to appoint a community liaison in all other matters.
He explained the intent of the liaison is to provide confidence to the community that “one of their own has been involved from the outset to help oversee that investigation.”
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