Alberta's police watchdog is at a "critical breaking point" as its chronically under-resourced team continues to grapple with overdue files, its executive director told an Edmonton Police Commission meeting Thursday.

But Susan Hughson said even though she has faced this issue since 2014, she does not believe the provincial government will give the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) the additional funding it desperately needs anytime soon.

"At some point, the government is going to have to consider the mandate," Hughson said. "Because if they are not going to provide additional funding, they are going to have to pick and choose what they want us to do."