Saskatchewan RCMP reveal results from SERT teams in 2024

RCMP’s Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams (SERT) assisted in a firearms trafficking investigation in the Hudson Bay area. (Courtesy: Sask RCMP)

The Saskatchewan RCMP is reporting the successes of its enforcement response teams over the course of 2024 – as the rate of violent crime continues to rise.

In 2024, the RCMP’s Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams (SERT) were responsible for 827 arrests, the execution of 392 judicial authorizations and 1,015 Criminal Code and Controlled Drug and Substances Act charges laid.

According to statistics, from 2014 to 2023 reports of violent crime offences increased by 46 per cent – with the province’s northern district accounting for 56 per cent.

One example of an investigation aided by SERT centered on firearms trafficking in the Hudson Bay area.

Early in 2024, officers with the Prince Albert Crime Reduction Team (CRT), working with officers at the RCM detachment in Hudson Bay, began investigating firearms trafficking in the region.

The investigation led to a search warrant being executed at a home in the Veillardville area.

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Officers seized 40 rifles, two handguns, 20 firearms in various states of disassembly, more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition, powder and rifle casings, prohibited high-capacity rifle magazines, two crates of illegal cigarettes, allegedly stolen mint coins and gold jewelry and small amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine in addition to other drug trafficking paraphernalia.

One individual was arrested and charged with trafficking and possessing prohibited firearms in addition to possessing stolen property.

Drug trafficking related charges were also laid.

“By removing dozens of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition from the illicit market, our teams prevented these weapons from potentially falling into the hands of criminals and gang members who could use them to harm and intimidate community members,” Inspector Jeff Smoliak, Saskatchewan RCMP’s SERT Senior Investigative Officer, said in the announcement.

“This is a prime example of how Saskatchewan RCMP SERT and local detachments work together as the provincial police force to enhance community safety in Saskatchewan.”

SERT is made up of several units specialized in everything from crime reduction to human trafficking to counter exploitation. The organization is made up of 108 RCMP officers and 31 civilian support staff, located in 10 communities across the province.