Sask. police oversight body clears service of wrongdoing after man seriously injured by canine unit

Saskatchewan’s police watchdog has released its findings following an investigation into an incident resulting in serious injury by a police dog bite in 2023 in Prince Albert.

Around 3 a.m. on Aug. 29, officers with the Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) began pursuing a motorcycle that failed to stop.

During the pursuit, the motorcycle operator, a 25-year-old man, fled on foot, and a Police Service Dog (PSD) was deployed, resulting in a serious injury. The man was then taken to hospital after he was provided with first aid by police.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m. that day, the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) was notified.

SIRT is an independent, civilian-led unit that investigates serious incidents involving police officers in Saskatchewan.

SIRT says during the investigation, seven police officers were interviewed, civilian witnesses were interviewed, a scene examination was conducted of the incident location, and all relevant GPS data, in-car video, and documentary evidence was seized.

After over a year of investigation, SIRT found no grounds to believe any police officer committed any criminal code offence. SIRT concluded that no charges will be laid.

The full SIRT report is available on the SIRT website.