City emphasizes co-ordination and urgency in plan to combat violent crime spike

Saskatoon city officials revealed more details of plans to combat a spike in violent crimes.

Mayor Charlie Clark said the "all hands on deck" news conference with the new police chief and acting fire chief was needed to assure residents that efforts are underway to help vulnerable people and improve public safety.

"In [my] 18 years as mayor and part of city council, we have more co-ordination happening in this city than ever before," Clark said at the news event outside city hall on Monday.

"We are in extraordinary circumstances and that requires us to figure out where we can be more agile and where we can call upon community partners to help."

Reports to police of violent crimes increased 9.6 per cent (1,091 in total) in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same time last year, according to a report going to the Board of Police Commissioners on Thursday.

Saskatoon recorded five homicides between Jan. 1 and March 31, up from two last year. Assaults were up 7.6 per cent to 639 incidents, robberies increased 13.8 per cent to 107 incidents, while criminal harassment (also known as stalking) increased 50 per cent, to 56 incidents from 37.

New Saskatoon police Chief Cameron McBride told reporters that officers are seeing more weapons on the street as the city grows. Mix in a drug addiction crisis and an affordable housing crunch, and the result is more violence as people struggle.

"Police in so many cases are responding to the outward manifestation of something that is a really deep issue," McBride said. "That's where we rely on our partners to really dig into why individuals are in crisis and how we can address those core issues."

Deployment of 18 additional officers and emergency response staff is underway. This includes three community mobilization unit officers, five alternative response officers and four patrol officers. The fire department is training six community support officers with a focus on public transit safety.

Other initiatives include increasing access to public washrooms, a data project targeting safety improvement for the 1500 block of 20th Street, and a safety intervention strategy for Pleasant Hill that will see three veteran constables redeployed in the neighbourhood to concentrate on the effort.

The North Saskatoon Business Association (NSBA) recently surveyed its members in response to increasing complaints about property crimes. More than 80 per cent of members who responded say they are seeing more crime, especially downtown and in the north-end, says NSBA executive director Keith Moen.

The NSBA submitted a letter with recommendations to the police board, including a property damage relief program, making it easier for businesses to report crimes, and more police patrols.

"You can drive around the north end after hours and you'd be hard pressed to find a police car," Moen said in an interview. "Just having them around in non-business hours when a lot of these crimes are occurring would be a great step forward."

The quarterly statistic report from police shows property crime reports declined 11.8 per cent to 3,725 incidents in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 4,224 incidents reported in the same period last year. Reports of break and enters at non-residential properties dropped 51 per cent, to 155 incidents this year from 317 last year. Graffiti incidents dropped 53.6 per cent, while mischief/wilful damage incidents dropped 14.2 per cent to 585 from 682.