Provincial Protective Services Branch Launches

Released on April 1, 2022

Today marks the first day of official operations for Saskatchewan's new Provincial Protective Services (PPS) Branch. 

The Provincial Protective Services Branch unites conservation, highway patrol, Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Officers, prisoner transport and court security deputy sheriffs, and Wascana Park community safety officers under a single organizational structure. Including support and administrative staff, the new branch will consist of approximately 450 employees. 

"A tremendous amount of work has gone into unifying these separate agencies into a single organization over the last six months," Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell said. "The transition to the PPS Branch is a major step forward in our ongoing work to ensure the safety and security of Saskatchewan communities and people."

Government does not expect service delivery by any of the agencies that make up the Provincial Protective Services Branch to be affected. There are no immediate changes planned to the insignias, logos, or uniforms used by the various enforcement agencies. 

Further work will take place throughout 2022 and 2023 to enhance services and ensure a consistent, collaborative approach to public safety incidents in Saskatchewan. 

In the long term, the transition to a unified structure will also relieve RCMP officers of their prisoner transport responsibilities. These duties will be fully transferred to provincial prisoner transport and court security deputy sheriffs in the PPS Branch, which will allow the RCMP to focus on their core policing mandate.

The PPS Branch supports Saskatchewan's Growth Plan goal of building safer communities by ensuring the protection of people, natural resources and infrastructure, allowing policing resources to focus on protecting Saskatchewan communities.

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