SPIRITWOOD – Spiritwood RCMP Detachment held a memorial barbecue Friday to honour the lives of the two RCMP Constables shot and killed in the line of duty on the 17th anniversary of their deaths.
The event was also a celebration of the RCMP’s 150th Anniversary and Indigenous recruitment has been at the center of the RCMP’s 150th anniversary in Sask.
Pelican Lake First Nation has partnered with Spiritwood RCMP to train six Community Safety Officers (CSO) who work on the First Nation.
“And now we have all these new challenges. In our community we have gang activity, meth, opioids,” said Chief Peter Bill.
Five First Nations bands in the area including Witchekan Lake, Pelican Lake and Onion Lake are currently negotiating with government to form their own police force to work on reserves.
Chief Bill says the partnership with RCMP is working well to provide safety and security to people living on reserves and provides employment within their communities.
“It’s a dangerous field but it makes a difference in our community,” he said.
The Sask. RCMP Indigenous Recruitment Unit was created one year ago to increase the number of trained Indigenous police officers, says RCMP Assistant Commissioner Blackmore.
“As self-administered policing moves forward, there is potential for those individuals to move over to a self-administered police service and bring experience with them,” said Blackmore.
She says the CSO’s know their communities and the residents, and this has been an asset to RCMP.
“We can’t be everywhere, so this is another opportunity to have an additional set of eyes, ears and hands to help us to prevent those who are intent on doing harm in our communities,” she said.
See related story: Fallen RCMP remembered on 17th anniversary of Spiritwood shooting
