SASKATCHEWAN — More than 500 vehicles were checked by Saskatchewan RCMP’s Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) teams in central and northern Saskatchewan to support safe driving on the province’s roadways.
Between Jan. 16 and Jan. 18, Saskatchewan RCMP’s Melfort and Prince Albert CTSS conducted a proactive traffic safety initiative, spanning from Melfort to La Ronge and their surrounding areas.
During the initiative, officers made patrols and stopped vehicles, checking them for unsafe driving behaviours. This included checking for impairment by drugs and alcohol. Over three days, Melfort and Prince Albert CTSS checked approximately 80 vehicles, and conducted approximately 80 Mandatory Alcohol Screening tests.
Resulting from the proactive patrols, in total, officers:
- issued 10 roadside licence suspensions after determining drivers had recently consumed alcohol or drugs;
- charged four drivers under the Criminal Code for alcohol or drug related impaired driving;
- impounded 16 vehicles and one ATV;
- issued 71 tickets; and
- issued 111 warnings.
Around the same time that the northern initiative took place, Saskatchewan RCMP’s Saskatoon and Maidstone CTSS conducted a proactive traffic safety initiative in the Lloydminster, Maidstone, Onion Lake, Turtleford, Cut Knife, and Battlefords detachment areas. Between Jan. 14 and Jan. 18, officers conducted a check stop and made patrols in the communities, checking for safety concerns on the roads.
During the four-day initiative, Saskatoon and Maidstone CTSS checked approximately 430 vehicles. As a result, officers:
- charged one driver under the Criminal Code for alcohol-related impaired driving;
- issued 31 roadside licence suspensions after determining drivers had recently consumed alcohol or drugs;
- issued 302 tickets; and
- issued 311 warnings.
Saskatchewan Highway Patrol officers with the Provincial Protective Services Branch assisted Saskatchewan RCMP’s Saskatoon and Maidstone CTSS teams with the check stop that took place between Jan. 15 and Jan. 16 in the Maidstone detachment area.
“These numbers represent only a snapshot of the work our CTSS teams – alongside detachments across Saskatchewan – do every day to keep our roads safe,” said Insp. Lee Knelsen, Operations Officer of Saskatchewan RCMP Traffic Services, in the news release. “Every vehicle we stop gives officers an opportunity to prevent a serious incident, such as identifying a potential impaired driver. As such, we want to thank the public and our partner agencies for their ongoing support as we work to get everyone to their destination safely.”
