Motorists in the southwest might have noticed patrol vehicles from Moose Jaw or Regina in the area recently. It's a trend that will continue.

In August of 2013 a traffic-safety report was completed for the provincial government, and the Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan was created.

Fast forward to the middle of this past March, and CTSS, RCMP, Regina Police Service, and Moose Jaw Police Service formed a new unit based in Moose Jaw that will spend the majority of their time patrolling rural areas in southwest and south-central Saskatchewan.

"There's an expectation that 60 per cent of their patrol time is spent on rural Saskatchewan roads, and the remaining 40 per cent is held within their jurisdiction, whether it be Moose Jaw or the City of Regina," said Corporal Mike Young of CTSS Swift Current. "They're out enforcing our strategic priorities in regards to impaired driving, rural seatbelt usage, high-risk driving behaviours, intersections, unsafe speeds, and criminal interdiction."

The area that'll be covered goes as far west as the Alberta border, as far east as about 150 kilometres east of Regina, north to Elrose on Highway 4, or Davidson area on Highway 16, and south to the American border.

There are currently five units from Regina and a pair from Moose Jaw. Both those numbers are expected to double come fall of 2018. The province granted the interjurisdictional authorities to the traffic members from Moose Jaw and Regina Police Services.

"People may not necessarily like to see the addition, but understand out there our entire focus is to ensure the safety of all the users out there on the highway, so this is how we're going to be going about it," Young said.