The Weyburn Police Service will be looking at a number of changes in 2019. This year, they will be including a new position with the service, as well as some fleet management, and repairs to the building. The changes were all contained in the 2019 budget, which was passed by Weyburn City Council last Monday.

The new position for the police service is a community services officer or CSO.

“It’s a sworn position. There is a training requirement, but they don’t go to the police college,” explained Weyburn Police Chief Marlo Pritchard. “They’ll be there to assist in traffic enforcement, bylaw enforcement, so it’s a much-needed resource for this organization.”

There will also be some changes made to the fleet.

The 2019 budget included funding to allow for the purchase of a new cruiser for the police service. Pritchard stated it was part of the regular fleet management, as leaving a vehicle in service too long can result in more costs for repairs as opposed to purchasing a new vehicle, as they can be on the road for 24 hours a day.

The police station itself will also be subject to some changes this year, which Chief Pritchard said are necessary.

“We do have some challenges with the building,” he stated. “We had some structural failures with regards to our water mains; our drains, so that will be done this year.”

Pritchard said while the year is starting out with the resources of the Weyburn Police Service stretched thin at times, they are ready for the other challenges 2019 will bring their way.