[2] Created in 1917 to replace the Royal Northwest Mounted Police (RNWMP), which was strained by involvement during World War I at the homefront with border patrols, enemy surveillance, and national security enforcement.
The force had a maximum strength ranging from 145 to 175 officers in the 1920s.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was contracted to act as the provincial police force[3] after increasing costs led the provincial government to outsource the service.
The SPP was led by a Commissioner of Police: The force's rank and file consisted of a mix of former RNWMP officers, military personnel and others with no policing experience.
Beginning on April 1, 2022, the 450-member Provincial Protective Services branch began operating and complements the work of RCMP and city police forces[7] (Provincial Protective Services branch includes Saskatchewan Highway Patrol, Saskatchewan Sheriff Service, and Saskatchewan Conservation Officers).