Police team dedicated to reducing intimate partner violence now working in Saskatoon

Saskatoon's first police team dedicated to intimate partner violence is already on the job, targeting that specific type of crime in a province where rates lead most of Canada.

Saskatoon Police Chief Cam McBride shared details at Thursday's meeting of the city's board of police commissioners.

The Intimate Partner Violence Response Team pairs an officer with a social worker from Family Service Saskatoon to better investigate intimate partner violence issues with a well-rounded view. Saskatoon police say it's the first of its kind in the province.

The team won't immediately respond to emergency calls. Janine Baumann, the executive director of Family Service Saskatoon, said the team will follow-up after domestic disturbances or intimate partner violence incidents, and connect both victims and perpetrators with services.

"It's often called the cycle of violence and we're trying to interrupt that, so that people understand and know that it is a choice to use violence and that there are different choices," Baumann said.

It's also meant to shorten the length of time for the process, which Police Chief McBride said is vital for better outcomes.

The team is a response to a rise in incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to McBride.

One officer took notice and began their own investigation, McBride said. 

"Through that work, [they] realized that we could investigate in a different and a better way," he said.

Police say the unit began working earlier in January, drawing from a model established in the Regional Municipality of Peel in Ontario.

However, it has not begun responding to incidents and its processes are still being refined. Depending on how well it does, McBride said it could expand.

Jo-Anne Dusel said this approach is positive because there is not enough focus on dealing with perpetrators.

"This is really important, because it offers the person who is actually using violence opportunities to access supports to change their behaviour," Dusel said.

She said when there's little or no intervention or treatment for the person using violence, the level of violence tends to escalate.

Dusel said that when children grow up in homes with violence, and it's normal for one partner to exert power over the other, it can show up as a pattern later in life.

"When they in turn grow up, they get into relationships, they think that both acting in that way and accepting that behaviour are normal behaviours," she said. 

Warrant Enforcement Unit 

SPS will also pilot a Warrant Enforcement Unit to address approximately 6,000 outstanding warrants in Saskatoon. 

"Saskatoon has a very large number of outstanding warrants currently, and so a sense of urgency has been building with regard to how do we address those warrants quickly and effectively," McBride said.

Establishing a dedicated team tasked with arresting people with outstanding warrants was among the recommendations from the inquest into the death of Myles Sanderson, who killed 11 people and injured 17 others in September 2022 on James Smith Cree Nation and nearby Weldon, Sask.

McBride said that was the catalyst for the unit.

"We know anecdotally that individuals who are prone to violent crime commit violent crime over time. It's usually not one violent crime … it's often a pattern of behaviour," he said.

McBride said disrupting the behaviour and executing those outstanding warrants could be a way to curb violence in the community.

For the past few months, the Saskatoon police's tactical support team has been using downtime for warrant enforcement.

For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for safety or that of others around you, please call 911.