There are changes to the coming to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit in Saskatchewan.

Last summer, the Saskatchewan government announced the creation of a Provincial Response Team.

Part of the announcement was the evolution of the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement unit into a role which would see them take on an expanded mandate.

Fred Antunes is the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure. He explained the new mandate added a lot more than just handling semi-trailers.

“They will also be stopping private vehicles who are breaking the law, and in addition to that, they’ll also support the RCMP on high-risk calls like 9-1-1 emergency calls, or they may have to go to domestic disturbances.”

Antunes pointed out there could be other situations where the Highway Patrol officer will be the only officer responding, based on the availability of the RCMP.

The new Saskatchewan Highway Patrol will officially begin operating under its new mandate on July 1. The date was chosen to allow the officers time to train in their new responsibilities.

The vehicles driven by the Highway Patrol will also see new branding.