The Estevan Police Service is preparing a new five-year strategic plan while continuing to address community safety, mental health, and technological advancements.
At the latest Chamber Coffee Talk, Chief Jamie Blunden outlined the city's policing priorities, with the current strategic plan set to expire in 2025. The next plan, covering 2026 to 2030, will align with the Community Safety and Well-being Plan, focusing on mental health, substance abuse, crime victimization, and education. Public input will be gathered through community forums as well as with input from the police board.
Mental health-related calls remain a significant concern for police. The Police and Crisis Team (PACT), which pairs officers with social workers, plays a key role in addressing these cases. However, Blunden noted that Estevan currently has only one SHA social worker dedicated to PACT.
“Mental health isn’t going away, and that’s sort of our way of [dealing] with the mental health and addictions,” Blunden said. “They can be proactive with the individual out there, the chronic callers are the ones that they know are going through some issues and they know the system. If the social worker that goes has the ability to get everything ready without having to go through all the steps at the hospital.”
Blunden also discussed new technology in policing. Next Generation 911, a major upgrade to emergency call systems, was originally scheduled to launch in March 2025, but the CRTC has delayed it to March 2027. However, Estevan’s system is expected to go live on April 29 of this year.
“It was supposed to be up and running by March of 2025 here, so ours is going to be implemented, and we’ve got a live date of April 29 of this year,” Blunden said.
Blunden noted that this date may still be bumped back but said they are working with the Sask Public Safety Agency in Prince Albert.
“We may not have the full CAD (computer automated dispatch system), but we’re certainly going to look at implementing it by the end of the month.”
Other planned advancements include artificial intelligence in data analysis, facial recognition technology, body-worn cameras, and increased automation for processing evidence.
A recent community survey conducted by the University of Regina found that 78 per cent of respondents rated the overall quality of policing in Estevan as very good. Areas for improvement included increased police presence, more attention to high-crime areas, and a greater focus on alcohol and drug-related issues.
With the province funding three new officer positions, the police are considering new roles such as a community education officer, a school resource officer, and a dedicated drug investigator.
Blunden reiterated that community engagement is essential to policing success and encouraged residents to provide input on future strategies.