Saskatchewan marshals employee put on leave before service launches
A member of Saskatchewan's new provincial police force has been placed on leave after a complaint from the public was filed before the service formally launched.
A spokesperson from the Saskatchewan Marshals Service (SMS) confirmed that a member has been placed on administrative leave due to an open investigation by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC).
The PCC is the province's oversight body that reviews complaints made against municipal police services or officers for alleged misconduct, which includes the new marshals. The five-person panel is provincially appointed.
An emailed statement from the SMS did not answer when the member's leave began or what role the member holds within the service.
'No further comment will be made at this time pending the outcome of the investigation,' said the statement.
Announced in 2022, the new provincial marshals service is meant to work alongside existing police services to address areas of the province with high crime rates, especially rural communities. It reports to the minister of corrections, policing and public safety, which is currently Tim McLeod.
The new police force has been widely criticized by municipalities, the national union representing RCMP members and the Saskatchewan NDP for its cost, potential of pulling officers from other short-handed police forces and overlapping jurisdictions with the RCMP.
Earlier this year, Chief Marshal Robert Cameron said the plan is to launch with 17 to 20 officers by summer 2025, growing to a force of 70 officers by the end of 2026 with an annual operating cost of $20 million.
The first class of SMS officers is scheduled to be sworn in on April 24 in Prince Albert, where the marshals' headquarters is based.
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