Saskatoon police resorted to use of force less often last year: Report

The Saskatoon Police Service headquarters can be seen in this file photo.

The Saskatoon Police Service says its officers resorted to physical force on fewer occasions in 2024 than in the previous year, despite responding to a higher number of calls.

In a report before the city’s board of police commissioners Thursday, Inspector Lisa Nowosad writes that Saskatoon police used force in less than one per cent of its 105,157 calls for service in 2024.

“[This] resulted in 264 occurrences where force was used (0.25 per cent), which is a slight reduction from 2023,” according to Nowosad.

“Despite an increase in call volume, Incidents where use of force was used decreased four per cent from 2023 to 2024, while dispatched calls increased by six per cent.”

The Criminal Code of Canada grants police the authority to use force in the course of their work, within certain limits, says Nowosad, who serves as chair of the police service’s use of force board.

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“Officers must be able to justify their actions and are responsible for any force that is excessive,” Nowosad writes.

In 2024, 85 incidents where Saskatoon police used force in the course of their job resulted in injuries to a civilian, and 42 resulted in officer injury.

“Despite efforts to de-escalate or prevent injuries, both citizens and officers sometimes require medical attention as a result of use of force,” the report says.

While some injuries are unavoidable due to the nature of police work, Saskatoon police say they implemented a new software tool last year called BlueTeam that will help the service improve supervisory oversight and accountability for its members’ actions in the line of duty.

Below is a table outlining the number of times different types of force were used by officers last year. Multiple forms of force are often used in a single incident, which is reflected in the total: