File photo from: Saskatoon Police Service
Saskatchewan now has its own ballistics lab, with a temporary location at the Saskatoon Police Service headquarters, while construction on a permanent lab is under way. The Saskatchewan Firearms Office has been funded $3 million from the provincial government for the lab and those that will be hired to work in it.
Firearms Officer Commissioner, Robert Freberg, says this is something that the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police has been advocating for, because before there was a ballistics lab in this province, evidence had to be shipped to an RCMP lab in either Ottawa or Surrey. Robert Freberg says, “The lab is an important part in supporting safer communities and targeting the criminal use of firearms instead of law abiding citizens.” He explains that the ballistics lab means faster processing times, which could decrease the pre-trial time for courts. It also means being able to build intelligence on illegal firearms and to be able to analyze all firearms that are used for criminal activity and seized by police.
Interim Saskatoon Police Chief, Dave Haye says when using the RCMP labs, the wait time for results could be anywhere from 12 to 24 months, however if something was integral, timelines could be moved up. He says, the importance of this lab for us is that when there is a crime involving a firearm, we can link that firearm to the crime and could possibly link it to other crimes, which is important because we know that firearms are trafficked in this country and this province.
The ultimate goal is to reduce victimization, Haye says, and he adds, “Saskatoon has experienced nine homicides thus far in 2024, four of which involved a firearm. I have no doubt that all of the firearms used in these homicides will be examined in the ballistics lab and that the analysis and evidence gathered will be used to support the work of our police service, the provincial prosecution service, to bring an element of closure to the families and loved ones of victims.” Last year in Saskatoon, Haye says, there were 148 occurrences where a firearm was the most serious weapon present during a violent crime. Of those, 47 involved an incident where a firearm was discharged and almost half of the time when a gun was shot, a person was injured or murdered.
L to R: Prince Albert Police Chief and Chief of Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police, Patrick Nogier; Firearms Officer Commisioner, Robert Freberg; Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister, Paul Merriman; Saskatoon Churchill-Wildwood MLA, Lisa Lambert; Interim Saskatoon Police Chief Dave Haye
