Indigenous Peacekeepers Pilot Project Update and Upcoming Launch
Following the direction of City Council, Indigenous Support teams are now working in the community to be an additional resource in Saskatoon’s Coordinated Community Safety Plans.
In teams of two, Indigenous Support staff will be focused on supporting the Downtown BID and the Riversdale BID, including the Pleasant Hill neighbourhood. Through the summer, each team will spend 40 hours per week in these BIDs. They will be in casual clothing, wearing Hi-Viz vests, with the City of Saskatoon logo on the front and “Support Team” on the back, as well as City identification cards on a lanyard to help people know who they are. Each team will have an unmarked car to assist with transportation to services.
Shifts and patrol areas have been determined based on incidents and call data from the Coordinated Community Safety reports, made up of data from Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), Saskatoon Fire Department, and Commissionaires. These will be regularly assessed and adjusted to provide help where and when it is most needed.
Responsibilities include:
- Relationship-building and making sure relatives know what supports and services are available and helping them connect to those services where possible.
- Identification and prevention of crime as appropriate
- Identification and reporting of crime to other tiers in the Coordinated Community Safety Team as appropriate
- Reporting required data for weekly reports
The Support teams have been trained in:
- First Aid, CPR, AED and Naloxone delivery
- Trauma Informed Practices
- Verbal judo
- Conflict resolution
- Orientation of supports and services available throughout the City
- Protocols for transporting vulnerable individuals
All have Vulnerable Sector Security Clearance.
They will be collecting data including:
- Number of wellness checks per day, by neighborhood
- Number and type of emergency and medical responses
- Number of people requesting/accepting supports, and relevant details
- Number of people transported to specific supports, and relevant details
- Number of incident responses related to:
- Fires
- Property trespassing or damage
- Assault
- Garbage
- Sharps
- Number of calls for additional support to Fire Community Support, Alternative Response Officers or Saskatoon Police Service regular patrol
The teams have had orientations with Fire Community Support and the Fire Department’s Unhoused team. They will also be meeting with SPS’s Alternative Response Officers, Community Mobilization Officers, and Bike Unit.
They met with the City’s Auntie Advocate, Dorthea Swiftwolfe and had a prayer and smudge to help start the Indigenous Support Team project in a good way.
The move comes after the City Administration had been in discussions with the Saskatoon Tribal Council to develop the Indigenous peacekeeper pilot project but had to pause planning. However, because of the urgency for additional support, the Administration created an interim pilot with the Corps of Commissionaires.
The teams begin full shifts at the end of this week.