NORTH BATTLEFORD — It’s been a busy year for policing and crime prevention in the Battlefords in 2025.
Battlefords RCMP Insp. Ryan How said in an interview with SaskToday that crime numbers are down as a positive sign.
“We’re pleased to see that the crime numbers are still decreasing, but we’re always cautious,” How said. “We’re always cautious with that, because we want to make sure the community feels safe first and foremost. So if we see a decrease in the stats, we also want to hear from our citizens and the people that we serve, that they’re feeling more safe and secure in their community. We fully recognize that we still have a ways to go, so we don’t rely on statistics completely.”
He credited the work of the Gang Task Force for helping tackle crime in the community.
“We’ve had some really tremendous successes through the year, specifically our Gang Task Force,” How said. “They’ve done excellent work doing exactly what they’re supposed to do, disrupting violent and prolific offenders.”
The Crime Reduction Team has also been a key part of policing in the Battlefords, he said.
“The Crime Reduction Team from the area has been equally as productive, as they support the detachment specifically on more violent calls and projects in the region as well, not just in the city,” How said. “Our members are doing their best to put professional investigations before the courts.”
He noted that these investigations help the police deal with prolific offenders.
“We’ve also spent some time when we’re able to suppress property crime, and we’re seeing a reduction in property crime offences,” How said.
How also encouraged the public to report all property crime that happens in the community.
One of the new initiatives the Battlefords RCMP started in 2025 was targeted night patrols.
“Night patrols are always something that police always do in every community, but these are dedicated, as resources allow, to target areas that are suffering from higher rates of property crime,” How said. “Again, we encourage the public to report property crime because our analysts create what we call heat maps, and show us exactly where the highest rates of property crime are happening.”
He said the police then focus their officers in those areas in the middle of the night when most property crime is happening.
“We have them on foot and on bikes, and have them able to take a tactical advantage so they can see and hear what’s going on around them, rather than being in a vehicle,” How said.
The local RCMP have also stepped up downtown policing in North Battleford in 2025.
“We drastically increased our foot patrols and our presence in the downtown area,” How said. “We tried to do it through a compassionate lens, knowing that people are suffering from complex needs, but we also wanted to maintain a minimum standard of behaviour down there. I really commend the partnerships from the local businesses and the City of North Battleford. They do understand the limits for policing in that area, and are really trying to find new and creative ways to manage some of the complex issues in the downtown core. I think towards the end of the year we started seeing some successes.”
