Saskatchewan NDP vow to hire more police instead of marshals service

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck speaking to reporters outside of the Regina Police Service (RPS) headquarters. (Courtesy: Saskatchewan NDP)

The Saskatchewan NDP has unveiled a plan to get tough on crime – vowing to add more RCMP and local police officers instead of supporting the province's Marshals Service.

Speaking outside of the Regina Police Service Headquarters (RPS), Leader Carla Beck pledged to abolish the proposed Saskatchewan Marshals Service and redirect the funds toward hiring 200 additional police officers.

One hundred of those spots would go to the Saskatchewan RCMP, with the remaining half going toward municipal police services.

The NDP’s plan would also include an "Unexplained Wealth Taskforce" designed to target organized crime and drug trafficking in addition to a $2 million rebate program aimed at security updates for homes and businesses.

Updates would include alarms, doorbell cameras and motion sensor lights.

"Make our communities safer every day. They are telling us, the conditions that we are seeing in our communities rural or urban or up north, something has to change," Beck told reporters.

The NDP would also budget $40 million over the next four years to address root causes of crime – focusing on mental health and addictions services.

--With files from Wayne Mantyka.