Policing and social services agencies working collaboratively is the focus of a new Saskatoon program aimed at keeping Aboriginal youth out of gangs.
The Saskatoon HUB, which is set to open in about a month or so, will see various agencies working under one roof as part of an anti-gang strategy.
Sgt. Craig Nyirfa, who is heading up the Saskatoon HUB, says that by working collaboratively and out of one location, agencies will be more successful in steering young Aboriginal people away from gangs.
“What you are doing is you’re pulling together agencies that are involved, so various areas under various ministries, and you’re basically assessing acute elevated risk in a collaborative fashion and that’s as simple as it is,” he says.
Nyirfa adds the idea is to share as much information as possible while at the same time respecting privacy and confidentiality.
“It’s about finding ways to share information that’s relevant and there’s a protocol that’s established between agencies when you’re sitting at the table, there’s a filter process that goes through, and the way that it works is again very simple – it’s designed looking at risk and when that information has to be shared.”
The Saskatoon HUB is based on a similar program that has been operating in Prince Albert for the last couple of years.
Nyirfa recently returned from Ottawa where he was on a four-year secondment in the Professional Development Centre for Aboriginal Policing at the Canadian Police College
He was the keynote speaker at a local anti-gang conference on Thursday morning.