Rampant bear spray use emerges as ongoing challenge for Saskatoon police

Saskatoon police say the variety of reported bear spray incidents is up virtually 25 per cent, to shut to 300, from final 12 months.

The acrid spray has been discharged all over the place from the road to mall shops to metropolis buses, and getting a grip on its unlawful use is a main policing problem heading into 2025, Saskatoon Police Service Chief Cameron McBride mentioned.

By means of October, there was been a median of practically one incident per day. At one level, there have been 5 circumstances over two days.

This pattern is troubling sufficient that one of many yardsticks McBride is utilizing to evaluate the province’s Protected Public Area Act is whether or not the brand new legal guidelines will assist management the sale and use of bear spray.

“How will we management it on the level of sale? How will we management it because it travels from one hand to the opposite? How does it get into the fingers of an individual who’s going to make use of it for a legal goal,” he mentioned.

“As we’re trying on the new laws and the way it may implement change and the way efficient it is likely to be … is it successfully going to make a distinction?”

McBride mentioned he had not but studied the brand new laws, launched by the federal government on Dec. 5. The province mentioned the Protected Public Areas (Road Weapons) Act will enhance security by regulating the possession, transportation and storage of things which may be used as avenue weapons, and permitting police to grab them with out laying fees.

That features massive knives, machetes and bear spray.

McBride is open to having a brand new device for police to make use of.

“If there’s optimistic change on account of laws, I am all for it,” he mentioned.

Municipalities should decide in for the legal guidelines to use.

Police flagged bear spray as a stay concern earlier this 12 months once they famous a “troubling rise” in bear spray-related incidents, in line with SPS Supt. Tonya Gresty, particularly in weapons assaults and theft experiences.