The Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners has unanimously approved a request from the police service to make Alternative Response Officers a a permanent fixture on the force.

With AROs now becoming a permanent unit, the financial implications for the 2023 budget remain unknown. The police service will now include the unit into their budget plans for the 2023 year with a proposal set to come forward to the board later this year.

The board also approved a motion to have the police explore the availability of having AFOs present in Riversdale and downtown after the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Executive Director of the Riversdale BID, Randy Pshebylo asked the Board back in March if the hours the unarmed officers are working could be extended. Something he echoed during Thursday’s meeting.

“What the board (Riversdale BID) said and that is, they have 17, 18, 19 year-old staff members needing to go to their vehicles or their bikes or waiting for the bus after their shift at 8, 9, 10 o’clock, where’s the safety and security for them at those time frames.”

AROs were introduced in Saskatoon last year as a way to free up regular police officers so they can respond to higher-risk calls.