January 29, 2020 2:40 PM
The integrated unit is comprised of 7 SPS members and 5 RCMP members. (Still the same number of members as the previous Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.)
The integrated investigative unit formerly known as Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) is currently transitioning to the Integrated Crime Reduction Team (I-CRT) in Saskatoon and other provincial municipalities.
Early last year, it was announced that CFSEU would be reformed with a new mandate in 2020. The unit remains provincially-funded and will support the goals outlined in the new Provincial Gang Violence Reduction Strategy.
In Saskatoon, the integrated unit is comprised of 6 SPS members and 7 RCMP members (the same number of members in CFSEU). Their mandate is to disrupt, curtail and reduce criminal activity in relation to the Saskatchewan provincial priorities of: gang activity, illegal firearms, drugs with primary focus on methamphetamine and opioids, property crimes including vehicle theft, and rural crime.
“Criminal activity not only takes place within the city limits of Saskatoon but often has links to nearby jurisdictions and municipalities,” explains Inspector Dale Solie of the Investigative Support Division. “This new integrated approach allows us to follow up on that information and be more effective in combating crime as it relates to property, guns and gangs.”
The I-CRT is also part of a smaller organizational change to allow for increased collaboration and communication between different units and sections whose files often overlap. The I-CRT, along with the SPS Drug Unit, Guns & Gangs Unit, Serious Assault Unit and NWEST, fall under the Street Crime Section in the Criminal Investigations Division.