Saskatoon's next police chief should focus on crime prevention: mayor

Saskatoon's new police chief needs to be focused as much on preventing crime as throwing people in jail, according to Mayor Charlie Clark. 

Police Chief Clive Weighill will retire at the end of the month after 11 years leading the city's police service. Now the hunt is on for his replacement. 

"We've made some real strides with Chief Weighill but we still have some work to do," Clark said. 

"How do you help prevent things from happening in the first place as opposed to spending all your resources and energy on enforcement?"

The Board of Police Commissioners is now accepting applications to fill Weighill's job — which will be officially vacated on Oct. 6. 

According to board chair Darlene Brander, the search will be thorough.

"We're expecting national interest with this particular competition; we are expecting internal interest," Brander told reporters at a news conference Wednesday.  

"We are looking for the most suitable candidate for our community going forward into the future."

Big challenges

Both Clark and Brander say the force is starting from a solid place after Weighill's 11-year tenure, but the new chief is facing some big challenges. The city's crime rate continues to be one of the highest in the country. 

Weighill has spoken often about the rise in property crime and crimes like vehicle theft relating to influx of methamphetamine. There are also ongoing budget concerns and requests to hire new officers debated annually at city council.

The department has contracted out an independent, wholesale audit of the police service. The audit will take a deep dive into police operations, looking at everything from staffing levels to way the police service operates.

The audit was backed heavily by Clark during his time as a city councillor and he said he hopes the new chief will be someone who understands the evolving nature of policing. 

"The world of policing is changing, the world of technology is changing, the role that the police play in a continuum of services is changing, so we need a leader is really able to manage through change," Clark said.

Brander said the new chief needs to build on the work Weighill has already done in building relationships with Métis and First Nations communities. 

"Eleven years ago, the city and the police service were looking for a little bit of of change and we are at the point now where we have a modern, progressive police force and we are looking to take that forward," Brander said. 

Building relationships

Clark says the new police chief needs to not only build relationships with people in the city, but other organizations as well. 

He says getting health and addictions agencies on the same page as police is key. 

"You are out there to be a resource to prevent crime in the first place, and to help make sure people aren't getting locked into cycles of crime. That would be a huge win," Clark said. 

In the interim, Deputy Chief of Operations Mark Chatterbok will serve as interim chief. He will start that role officially on Oct. 6 and will remain chief until Weighill's replacement is hired in early 2018.