Sask. auditor says Highway Patrol still not monitoring employee purchases as recommended
The auditor said some of her June 2020 recommendations have been partially implemented, but more is needed
Saskatchewan's provincial auditor said in her latest report that more needs to be done to track firearms and ammunition for the province's highway patrol.
The Saskatchewan Highway Patrol (SHP) was created in July of 2018 and has been part of the province's Protection and Response Team (PRT) , which is tasked with reducing rural crime.
Auditor Judy Ferguson's previous report, released in June, said the Ministry of Highways owns firearms and equipment that the SHP is not allowed to use on duty.
The report found that since SHP's inception, the government has spent $700,000 to supply it with firearms, ammunition and protective equipment. She highlighted some "questionable purchases," including two fully automatic rifles, an AR-10 carbine, suppressors (silencers), drug test kits, a drone and a high power rifle scope.
The SHP chief was fired in the wake of the purchases. He then sued the government for wrongful dismissal.
In her latest report, released this week, Ferguson said some of her recommendations have been partially implemented, but more work still needs to be done to track purchases, track equipment and regulate who can buy firearms and ammunition.
Ferguson said the ministry still needs to monitor to make sure that employees making purchases with government cards are only doing so when approved or within transaction limits.
"This helps the Ministry treat suppliers equitably, and verify purchases are for legitimate business purposes," Ferguson said in her report.
As of Nov. 2, the recommendation was not yet considered, she said.
Ferguson said the ministry reminded employees via email to follow the policies and will check transactions to make sure they comply with established policies.
The report also calls on the ministry to better oversee the purchases of firearms and ammunition.
"Having clear policies that restrict who can buy regulated items like firearms and ammunition (e.g., require additional approvals or limit purchases to a few individuals) can assist the Ministry in overseeing purchases of regulated goods," Ferguson said in her report.
New IT system to track equipment planned to be implemented in October: report
Lastly, Ferguson said the ministry still needs to better track highway patrol equipment.
The ministry brought in an IT system to track the equipment in June 2020 and in Sept. 2020 was in the process of entering the equipment into the system. The ministry told Ferguson the data input would be done by October.
"The sensitive and portable nature of regulated highway patrol equipment increases the importance of keeping track of them and their use," Ferguson said.
"Processes such as periodic inventory checks or counts, and restricting who can make changes to equipment tracking records decreases the risk of the Ministry being held liable for misplaced or lost items used for inappropriate purposes."