CANADA, May 16 - Released on May 16, 2022

The Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety and the Saskatchewan Women in Policing (SWIP) organization are proud to honour the winners of this year's SWIP awards. 

"Congratulations to these brave women on their outstanding achievements in policing," Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell said. "As a former officer myself, I'm proud of the excellent work female officers do to keep Saskatchewan communities safe."

An awards ceremony was held on May 12 to congratulate the winners, which included:

• Caitlin Lee, Conservation Officer with the Provincial Protective Services Branch - recipient of the first ever SWIP Officer of the Year Award;
• Robin Petkau, Constable with Regina Police Service - recipient of the SWIP Lifesaving or Critical Incident Award;
• Sherese Tardif-Cress, Detector Dog Handler with the Canada Border Services Agency - recipient of the SWIP Mentoring and Leadership Award; and
• Monica Deters, Supervisor, Intelligence Analysts with the RCMP "F" Division - recipient of the SWIP Civilian Mentoring and Leadership Award. 

SWIP is a non-profit organization established to offer mentorship and guidance to women in law enforcement positions across the province. SWIP works to empower female officers to break systemic barriers, and advocates for women as they advance their careers in law enforcement. SWIP also offers female-centric training opportunities, conferences and networking to connect with other female law enforcement professionals, including sworn, civilian and retired members, in Saskatchewan and across Canada.

"As the President and founding member of SWIP, it has been a truly rewarding experience to work with an amazing team of female leaders from across the province and country, with many becoming good friends, not only colleagues," Saskatchewan Women in Policing President Inspector Lisa Simonson said. "The mentorship, guidance and support structure has been created within the organization and will continue to flourish for the women who follow in our footsteps."

SWIP officially became a non-profit organization in December 2020, and since then has grown to 203 members. For more information or to become a member of SWIP, visit www.swipsk.ca and follow SWIP on social media.

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