Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe announced Thursday that if reelected his government will introduce amendments to address The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act which give officers more authority allowing them to shut down nuisance properties. He gives examples of an abandoned building that has been repeatedly broken into or has trespassers squatting.

As well his government would give officers more authority to address issues like intoxication on public property, vandalism and those who are displaying disruptive behavior on public property or in public spaces like a shopping mall. Moe says the measures they plan to introduce would allow a business to designate police as the authorized representative of their property which means police can remove unauthorized individuals from a business after hours without waiting for the owner’s permission. Moe says under the Sask. Party the government had previously funded 180 new RCMP positions, plans to hire 100 new municipal officers and 70 more through the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.

NDP leader Carla Beck has previously announced that her party would get rid of the marshals service and use the $20 million dollars a year it was expected to cost, to hire 100 RCMP officers and hire 100 more municipal police officers. After Moe made his announcement in Prince Albert Thursday, Beck pointed out that crime has increased under the Moe government with Prince Albert, in 2023, considered the third most violent city in Canada. She says violent crime rose 18.5 per cent year-over-year and crime severity had increased by 13.5 per cent. Beck also notes that rural crime remains the worst in the country and is up 16 percent since the last election.