A new Saskatchewan police agency says it has sworn in its first 10 officers.
The Saskatchewan Marshals Service says the officers are undergoing seven weeks of training before they start working later this year.
The training includes firearms education, defensive tactics, emergency casualty care, high-risk vehicle stops, trauma-informed policing and Indigenous culture.
The province created the service to assist RCMP and other law enforcement in combating rural crime, gangs, illegal weapons and drugs.
The National Police Federation, the union representing Mounties, has criticized the marshals service for possible job poaching and reshuffling policing resources.
The service, which is to have 70 officers next year when it’s fully operational, didn’t say if it has hired RCMP officers.
