Saskatoon Police Service wants to expand victim services unit to meet community demand

The Saskatoon Police Commission reported Thursday that theSaskatoon Police Servicesought funding to expand the force ofVictim Services. I received

Police Chief Troy Cooper said the debate revolved around finding funds to help more victims in the city.

} "What we discussed today is the possibility of working with state partners and lobby groups to increase capacity and possibly add staff with federal funding," Cooper said. increase.

The report states that there are three areas that need to be expanded:

• Human trafficking assistance to help victims of the increasing number of crimes. Prepared
• Added additional Aboriginal resource officers
• Prepared Community Relations Victim Support Worker status to assist victims of hate crimes

Statistics provided to support report, Canadian According to the Center for Justice and Community Safety Statistics,human trafficking were women and girls.

Read More: London, Ontario. Police found one man charged with trafficking and another still fugitive.

, and one in five was between the ages of 25 and 34.

Saskatoon also has a significantly higher rate of human trafficking in 2020, listed at 4.7 cases per 100,000 population. increase.

To rationalize additional Aboriginal resource officers, statistics were given that 46 of the 60 murder victims in Saskatchewan in 2020 were Aboriginal.

The report added that at least 12 of her family members, witnesses, or members of her community were affected and in need of support services on file for each murder.

Creation of Community Relations Victim Support Workers encourages new entrants It added that it would help and immigrants, the LGBTQ2S+ community, the elderly, the chronically ill or disabled, the homeless, those with mental health and addiction issues, and within communities where Victim Services Units need assistance. that they are struggling to meet the demands of the people of

"We see crime as a wound in our community, and we need to be able to heal that wound. And sometimes justice is the answer, but more importantly, it's important to get support, work with victims, and view it as a victim-centered approach, and the Victim Services Department. is the most appropriate response," Cooper said. .

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employees and about 40 volunteers demanding video evidence of the spraying incident.

Of these, 1 coordinator and 1 administrative assistant deal with approximately 230 clients per month. Two staff members serve as Indigenous Resource Officers and handle approximately 125 clients per month. One staff member was assigned as a missing persons liaison, serving at least 70 clients a month, and another staff member was assigned as a victim services responder, serving as many as 70 clients a month. ing.

It was also noted that an annual budget of $1,857 was set aside to recruit, train and maintain 40 volunteers.

According to Cooper, they rely heavily on volunteers and are always looking for new volunteers.

"I think this is a lean program. There are not many extras for staff or volunteers. People are there to care, they are there to benefit the victims."

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