Sask. police oversight body, due in fall, still in hiring mode: minister

The Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) that will take over the investigation of Saskatchewan police incidents involving death or serious injury is still expected to launch before the end of the year, Saskatchewan's minister of justice says.

The province had said the team would be up and running this fall.

On Monday, Justice Minister Gord Wyant said SIRT's executive director, Gregory Gudelot, who was appointed to lead the team in June, was in the process of interviewing candidates for the team's initial roster of two investigators.

More investigators may be hired depending on SIRT's future workload, Wyant said.

"It's very important that we get the right investigators in place with the right credentials and the right experience to do [these] very complex investigations," Wyant said. 

Wyant was asked about SIRT's status in the wake of three people recently dying while in the custody of the Prince Albert Police Service.

Since SIRT has not launched yet, those deaths will be investigated by police agencies other than the Prince Albert Police Service, as has been the custom in Saskatchewan.

Once the SIRT launches, summary reports on the investigations conducted by SIRT will be publicly released within three months of an investigation being completed.

That does not happen currently. Investigation observers are typically appointed by the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General to monitor investigations into police incidents, but the findings of those observers are not shared with the public.  

SIRT will also ensure a community liaison of First Nations or Métis ancestry is appointed if the victim is Indigenous, the government has said. Families of Indigenous people who have died in Saskatchewan police encounters have led the call for an independent agency to investigate police conduct in the province. 

"We're hoping very, very quickly because we know how important it is," Wyant said of SIRT's expected launch. 

"It was one of the recommendations that came out of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry and certainly conversations before that were leading us in this direction."

Consulting FSIN, other law enforcement bodies

A spokesman for the ministry said Tuesday that SIRT is looking for experienced investigators "who can qualify for the security designations needed to do this work."

"Mr. Gudelot and his team are also engaged in developing training standards for the new investigators, accessing needed equipment and securing accommodations," the spokesperson said.

SIRT is also getting input on its policies from the Saskatchewan Chiefs of Police, Federation of Indigenous Sovereign Nations, Saskatchewan Police Commission, Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers and the National Police Federation (the union for RCMP members).

"We are confident that the time and care we are taking to lay the groundwork for its future success will pay off for years to come," the spokesperson said.