Police Chief Patrick Nogier says the crime severity index in Prince Albert, Sask., has been “quite high” over the last decade, but the city has a plan to bring that down in 2025.
The crime severity index is a measure of the volume and severity of crime for a specific area. Prince Albert ranked fifth in the country in 2022, and with more than 1,500 violent crimes reported in 2024, the city is looking to get a better handle on crime in 2025.
“Well, of course, we’re very concerned about the incidents of violent assaults, as is everybody,” Mayor Bill Powalinsky says. “And naturally, those are very hard to predict or to control.”
Nogier says efforts to reduce crime on the roads and those committed with firearms are paying off, but admits there is still a lot of work ahead.
“So early in November, some of our projections were showing we were going to have close to 12 per cent decrease in violent crime and then correspondingly we were having a really good decrease in property crime as well,” Nogier says. “And we’re not going to rest on our laurels. We know that we want to continue to push those rates. We had quite a bit of room to make up.”
In addition to fostering stronger relationships with government firearms offices, data-driven policies and analytics are major focuses for police this year.
“The biggest one, too, is getting a little bit better grasp on our analytics and looking at exactly what’s happening in the communities so that we can be more surgical with respect to how we deploy resources,” Nogier says. “So making sure we’re aware of trends when they’re happening and then start a deeper dive into who is actually causing those issues. Is there some linkages there that we can work on? Are there specific groups that we need to identify and target?”
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Nogier says the police force’s focus on efficiency will set Prince Albert apart from other cities.
“I’m confident that halfway through or three-quarters of the way through 2025, that Prince Albert will have one of the best, if not the best policy and procedure when it comes to policing.”
Police in Prince Albert are also aiming to improve their relationship with community organizations through a safety and well-being program. Nogier says the program aims to make sure that “people feel comfortable about engaging and communicating with the police organization.”
“That can sometimes be a little bit difficult, but that’s where that community engagement component is going to come in to pay off dividends,” he says.
Powalinsky says a limited budget poses challenges to crime prevention, but it’s just part of the city’s job to get it done.
“Every year is always a tough budget year and this year being no exception. But the hard work that we’re going to have to do is to make sure that we’re going to be able to maintain our current level of service,” he says.
Prince Albert’s city council recently approved millions of dollars in funding for safety organizations including policing, bylaw enforcement and community safety:
- Policing: An increase of $2.3 million reflects the city’s growing safety needs for a total policing budget of $21.41 million. The original request from police increased by $1.04 million following a final review by the Board of Police Commissioners.
- Fire services: An increase of $821,817 to enhance the fire department’s ability to protect and serve the community.
- Community safety and well-being: $398,545 dedicated to the community safety and well-being division to address proactive approaches to deal with crime, homelessness and social issues.
- Bylaw enforcement: A cost of $1.1 million for the bylaw division to manage compliance and enforcement of municipal bylaws and to support the work of the community safety and well-being division.
Nogier adds that organizations like the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police (SACP) can bring effective strategies to the province’s attention, cutting costs and improving provincial policing at the same time.
“Those are the things that the SACP can help with, making sure that we have a unified front when we’re talking to the ministry so that you’re not just talking about Regina, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Estevan, North Battleford,” Nogier says. “And so that’s where that having that group of people together, that united voice can help really resonate with the province and the politicians when it comes to how we spend our precious tax dollars.”
Focusing on analytics, traffic and firearm crimes, and fostering community relationships, the City of Prince Albert is working to continue its downward crime trend in 2025.
