The Province of Saskatchewan has announced it is continuing with funding towards targeted police initiatives for North Battleford for the coming year.
An announcement was made Thursday of an allocation of $770,000 for 2014-15, an increase of $35,000 from a year earlier.
The annual funding goes towards seven additional RCMP officers in North Battleford, who were hired in recent years. The municipal grants have been increased by $5,000 per officer to offset increasing costs.
"Crime prevention and suppression is a priority for the Government of Saskatchewan," Battlefords MLA Herb Cox said on behalf of Corrections and Policing Minister Christine Tell.
"This funding provides the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with the capacity that strengthens its ability to respond to the needs of the community and reduce crime and victimization."
In the news release issued by the province, Mayor Ian Hamilton was quoted as welcoming the continuation of the province's assistance.
"We are grateful for the confirmation of continued funding for targeted police initiatives," Hamilton said.
"The city considers crime reduction and prevention a provincial and municipal responsibility and strategies have been presented that could further strengthen the partnership between the province and our city to address regional policing demands that impact our community."
