SASKATOON — Saskatoon Police Chief Cam McBride says 2025 was a year defined by difficult decisions, major investigative breakthroughs and the early stages of rebuilding a police service he says has been “running lean for so long.”
McBride reflected on the pressures facing the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) – from recruitment challenges to budget scrutiny – and outlined what he sees as the path forward for a rapidly growing city.
One of his priorities as Chief, he said, is reinforcing the SPS code of ethics and core values, particularly when dealing with suspensions, dismissals and disciplinary hearings.
“In the long-run, with those principles as a foundation, you build a stronger organization and there is accepted willingness to hold people accountable," he said.
Budget meant to ‘correct course’
Saskatoon police’s budget will increase by 8.6 per cent in 2026 and 6.2 per cent in 2027.
The SPS budget accounts for 25 per cent of the city’s overall budget and McBride said he “feels the weight of responsibility that the things we set out [to] accomplish with this budget, are achieved.”
“When it comes down to it, because we’re a growing city, we need to grow too,” he said, describing the 2025 budget as a “correction line” after years of operating lean.
Residents, he said, should see tangible improvements by the end of 2027 with how quickly officers respond, and the amount of time they have to respond to each call rather than rushing to the next, and expanded proactive programming.
Falling crime, rising workload
While crime rates are down, McBride said that trend captures only a fraction of the work police do.
“Criminal Code violations may be down for the second straight year, but that accounts for a small fraction of where we need to allocate resources,” he said. “Many police contacts don’t result in a Criminal Code charge. In tandem to crime rates, we need to look at everything else our service does: calls coming into Communications, calls dispatched, etc. are all increasing.”
Recruitment: ‘Social media misrepresents policing’
One of the most pressing challenges is staffing. Applicant numbers have tapered off, which McBride attributes to media attention, both mainstream and social, as well as a mix of social challenges and generational differences.
“Social media completely misrepresents what policing is,” said McBride.
To counter that, he wants to build a “culture of recruitment” within the service itself.
Growth pressures
SPS plans to hire 49 additional full-time positions: 20 in 2026 and 29 the following year. Even with these new hires approved in the latest city budget, McBride warned that Saskatoon’s growth may outpace SPS staffing levels by 2027.
Space is another looming issue.
“We are out of space and exploring options of what the next step is – do we move to a precinct style, do we move certain areas to different buildings in the city, etc – but no decision has been made yet.”
Investigative highlights
McBride pointed to two standout investigations in 2025. The Kyle Hamiluck voyeurism investigation and the identification of the “Woman in the Well,” a case more than 100 years old.
The latter, he said, showcased the ingenuity of the SPS Historical Crime Unit. Through connections with Toronto Police, the service was able to use investigative genetic genealogy at no cost.
“This investigation was an amazing example of how commitment and ingenuity can find answers even after more than a hundred years,” said McBride.
“We have one investigator assigned to the Historical Crime Unit and it was through his connections that the Toronto Police Service was able to utilize investigative genetic genealogy at no cost to the SPS.”
Transit safety initiative
As Saskatoon prepares to roll out a transit safety strategy, McBride said that the plan goes beyond simply placing officers on buses.
He envisions officers spending more time in the bus mall, working closely with transit supervisors, identifying prolific offenders and using crime data to patrol priority stops.
“Recruitment will be a challenge but we have an opportunity to take the best of what other jurisdictions do and implement it here,” said McBride.
Involuntary treatment
With new provincial legislation on involuntary treatment, McBride said he views the issue through two lenses – as a parent and as a police officer.
He said police won’t be deciding who receives treatment.
“When it comes to the new legislation, I see the police role as identifying someone in crisis and transporting them to a place where someone can decide what kind of treatment is necessary. It won’t be police making that decision.”
Future growth
McBride said several units will eventually need expansion, including: Alternative Measures and Restorative Justice; The Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Response Team; and the Warrant Enforcement Unit, which he said has “no shortage of work.”
Policing vs social programming
When it comes to policing and social programs, McBride said the two are intertwined.
Through programs like Police and Crisis Team (PACT) and the IPV Response Team, SPS has embedded social workers directly into operations.
“I’ve heard from many social works they wouldn’t feel safe responding to some calls without a police officer,” he said.
Although he supports a health-based approach, he said that police, who are often the first responders, don’t have access to health information needed to make those decisions.
“While we need to meet a realistic and necessary policing standard, investing in other areas does not take away from the need for police here and now when someone calls or something happens,” said McBride.
-With files by Jon Perez
ljoy@sasktoday.ca
