An interview with the Commanding Officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP

[@rcmpgrcsk]

Even though I'm originally from Ontario, coming back to Saskatchewan is a little bit like coming home. There's lots of familiarity, even though the faces and names have changed in a lot of cases, its coming back to that familiarity and the one thing that in the short time I've been here, I've noticed what hasn't changed, is the hospitality of people within Saskatchewan. TEXT: What is key to community safety in such a diverse province? A/Commr Blackmore: For me, I think the key to the response is communication. And by that I mean, having those conversations with individuals, to understand what their priorities are. It is a diverse area, and that's going to mean there's diverse needs or priorities from different communities throughout the province. So we need to be responsive to those needs. So we need to have great communication with our communities, with our community leaders and people within our communities, and make sure we're engaging with them on what their priorities are, what their concerns are and what we need to deliver to ensure they feel safe and secure in their homes and communities. TEXT: What are some of your first priorities? • advancing reconciliation with Indigenous communities • addressing rural crime • addressing domestic violence • addressing gang-related violence • employee wellness A/Commr Blackmore: My priority is to meet people, as best we can in the current environment, much that will be virtually, of course, initially. Hopefully at some point we will get the opportunity to meet people again in person, so that I can get out there and have those conversations, those really important conversations on what they see as priorities, what we're doing well, areas where we could improve, and get that information from them. Text on screen: © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police 2020. Text on screen: Canada Wordmark