Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, left, and Justice Minister Tim McLeod are pictured during a visit to North Battleford on July 9, 2025, where they met with local leadership to discuss public safety and justice initiatives. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Kenneth Cheung

PUBLIC SAFETY

RCMP report shows violent crime spike in Sask.; premier vows action on drugs, bail reform

Jul 23, 2025 | 4:46 PM

Premier Scott Moe says his government is doubling down on policing, bail reform and addictions recovery as violent crime continues to rise in Saskatchewan.

“We’ve been very clear about our approach when it comes to keeping our community safe,” Moe said during a media conference Wednesday.

“Working with Prime Minister Carney and other ministers in the federal government to increase the consequences, not only for repeat offenders in revamping bail reform, but increasing the consequences for individuals that are bringing this poisonous drug into our provinces.”

His comments come in response to the new 2024 RCMP statistics which show a 45 per cent increase in victims of violent crime in RCMP-patrolled areas over the past decade — from 15,160 in 2015 to 21,907 last year.

Assaults, including aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, made up 62 per cent of cases in 2024. Another 25 per cent involved threats or harassment, while sexual offences accounted for seven per cent.

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Firearm-related offences made up just two per cent but have climbed significantly, with violent gun crimes more than tripling over the past decade — from 140 to 493 cases.

Moe said restricting legal firearm ownership won’t solve the issue, noting most guns used in crimes are “stolen” or “received by ill-gotten gains.” He said legal gun owners aren’t the ones committing violence.

He tied the rise in violence to the drug crisis, pointing out that the province needs to work alongside other governments and community leaders to ensure they are “doing our level best to eradicate drugs like fentanyl and crystal meth from our province and from our communities.”

“It’s killing our family members,” Moe said. “It’s killing our friends and… even more people than that.”

As part of the effort Moe referred to, the province recently launched a Drug Treatment Court in North Battleford aimed at breaking the cycle of addiction and reducing repeat offences in the region.

In a separate effort, Justice Minister Tim McLeod joined North Battleford Mayor Kelli Hawtin, Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie and Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill in co-signing a letter to the federal government calling for bail reform. The letter argues that current policies allow dangerous offenders to return to communities too easily.

Earlier this year, in February, McLeod also announced fines of up to $1 million for trafficking fentanyl or meth, along with expanded enforcement powers for police.

Beyond enforcement, Moe said the province is working to expand recovery access.

“We’re building out the space, we’re building access points,” he said, adding the government wants recovery to be an option for everyone who needs it.

The province is also exploring mandatory treatment for people in severe addiction, following similar moves in British Columbia and Alberta. Moe said it’s a complex discussion but one that’s underway.

Insp. Ashley St. Germaine of the RCMP’s Major Crimes Branch said police continue to bear the brunt of the violence.

“The impacts of violent crime are felt in communities across Saskatchewan long after police investigations end, ” she said in a statement. “We can’t police our way out of this rise in violence — a multi-faceted response is required.”

The RCMP report shows Saskatchewan’s North District accounted for more than half of all violent crime in 2024. It also saw the biggest spike in violent firearm offences — up 485 per cent over the past decade — and made up nearly three-quarters of all gun crimes investigated last year.

RCMP said they are working with health services, social workers and community groups to address the root causes of violence.

In response to the RCMP report, Saskatchewan NDP deputy leader Vicki Mowat accused the Sask. Party of failing to make communities safer.

“People don’t feel safe in their communities,” she said in a statement.

“We remember a time when we would leave our doors unlocked and walk our streets alone at night — but that’s not the reality anymore after 18 years of Sask. Party failures.”

Mowat said the government has focused on what she called ineffective programs, like the Marshals Service, while cutting supports for mental health and addictions.

“This government hasn’t done a thing to protect our communities, to get tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime,” she said, adding that hiring targets for police and judges have been repeatedly missed.

She said the NDP will continue touring high-crime communities this summer to listen to residents and frontline organizations.

These are numbers released by the RCMP reviewing Saskatchewan as a whole. Earlier this week Stastistics Canada released the Crime Severity Index. The two numbers will differ as the index is a summary measure of the volume and severity of crime reported to police – per police area, province and the country as a whole.

Recently, in some communities including Battleford, the crime severity index indicates a decrease in certain types of crime.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com