Christine Tell, Saskatchewan's minister of corrections, policing and public safety, speaks to members of media at the Saskatchewan Legislature in Regina, on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Saskatchewan government has released the recommendations from an investigation into Prince Albert police amid ongoing concerns from Indigenous leaders over how the force handled several cases.
Last year, the Saskatchewan government appointed former Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht to conduct an independent review of the force in the city 140 kilometres north of Saskatoon.
The report was completed this spring and included 45 recommendations.
Christine Tell, minister of policing, says the recommendations identify a number of areas for improvement and the province is working with the force, police union and the interim chief to move forward so people can be confident in the service’s ability to keep the community safe.
Recommendations include the creation of an annual strategic plan and clearly defined processes and training around discipline and human resources.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations called for changes after the deaths of three Indigenous men in custody in 2021.
Scrutiny of the force was heightened again last year after a 13-month-old Indigenous boy was allegedly killed by his father when his mother was placed in police custody in a domestic dispute.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2023.
