SASKATCHEWAN – The number of police officers assaulted in the line of duty continues to increase each year.
In 2022 there were 471 incidents of assaults against police officers, compared with 362 in 2018. Of the 471 incidents last year, 289 occurred in Saskatchewan RCMP’s North District, 118 in the Central District, and sixty-four in the South District. Of the 471 incidents last year, 377 were assaults on police officers, 83 were assaults on a police officer causing bodily harm and/or assault on a police officer with a weapon, eight were disarming a police officer, and three were aggravated assault on a police officer.
From Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2023, there have been 375 assaults against police officers.
“Assaults on police officers have increased 29 per cent in five years in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction,” said A/Commr. Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of Saskatchewan RCMP.
“I’m committed to transparency, and to painting an accurate picture of policing in Saskatchewan. The statistics show that our officers are at increasing risk of being assaulted while doing their job – keeping our communities safe. I’m proud of the dedication they have to community safety, even as risk to their personal safety increases.”
There have been several incidents in the past month alone.
On Oct. 23, a 33-year-old Lloydminster man was arrested after an Onion Lake RCMP police vehicle was rammed. Just before 7 p.m. an Onion Lake RCMP officer had observed several suspicious people in a side-by-side outside of a business on Onion Lake, so he pulled up beside them and activated his emergency lights. The driver of the side-by-side suddenly accelerated and rammed into the police vehicle. The officer wasn’t injured.
The driver of the side-by-side fled and it was later found damaged and abandoned less than a kilometre away. Shortly after, police located and arrested Josh McLaren nearby. McLaren is charged with assault of a police officer with a weapon, flight from police, dangerous driving, wearing a disguise with intent, failing to stop after an accident, and impaired driving. He appears in North Battleford Provincial Court on Oct. 26. Onion Lake RCMP say they continue to investigate.
In another incident on Oct. 6, after observing a stolen vehicle on Big Island Cree Territory, Pierceland RCMP attempted a traffic stop. The driver fled and, in the process, rammed a police vehicle. The officer wasn’t injured. A 24-year-old man faces several charges including assaulting a police officer with a weapon.
On Sept. 30, La Ronge RCMP got a report about an unwanted person at a home in La Ronge. Officers found the person, who resisted arrest, assaulted a police officer and tried to unholster his conducted energy device. The officer had non-life-threatening injuries. A man has been charged with two counts of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and other charges in relation to this incident.
On Sept. 18, officers from the Sask. RCMP Crime Reduction Team observed a stolen vehicle on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle fled and rammed the police vehicle. A man has been charged and is still wanted on a warrant in this incident.
Facing the threat of injury or death every shift
Police officers face the threat of death every time they put on their uniform and start their shift. This is something most people won’t face or experience.
Victim impact statements by Onion Lake RCMP officers were read into the Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench in April 2021 during a sentencing hearing for Tyler Wolfe from Onion Lake who was convicted of opening fire on RCMP officers as they pursued an SUV. Wolfe was sentenced to six years in prison. Six shots were fired directly at RCMP as they pursued the SUV with suspected gang associates through Onion Lake at speeds up to 177 km/hour past two schools in mid-afternoon.
RCMP Const. Jacob Isaac, who was involved in the pursuit on Onion Lake Cree Nation Jan. 1, 2021, had told the court, "I was convinced that day it was only a matter of time until the accused’s SUV or bullets killed someone.
"This was a feeling very few will experience and was a heavy burden on all of us to accept that we had to potentially die trying to stop this out-of-control threat to society," he added.
“I can remember hearing the updates on the radio as we all pursued and I think to myself ‘how do we stop this before someone dies?’ As various scenarios ran through my head on how to stop them, very few had the likelihood of coming out uninjured or (not) killed,” said Const. Isaac. “I’m confident my co-workers had the same gut wrenching thoughts.”
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