Policing in Halifax is under scrutiny. New report says big changes needed

A new report presented to Halifax Regional Council recommends “significant transformation” of the municipality’s dual policing model, saying the current model is “fragmented and inconsistent.”

Halifax is unique in that the municipality is covered by both RCMP and a municipal police force. Halifax Regional Police (HRP) mostly covers the urban core areas, while more suburban and rural areas are policed by the RCMP.

This model has been in place since 1996, when all municipalities within Halifax County were amalgamated to create Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

“Despite what might be commonly perceived in the community — the HRP and RCMP do not operate in an integrated policing model,” said the report presented to council Tuesday.

“The gap between what stakeholders expect in the policing model and what exists today is vast — significant transformation is needed to bridge that gap.”

It said having two distinct police operating models in HRM is “the root cause of many challenges in the current policing model.”

In April 2021, council voted unanimously for an independent report reviewing the current policing model to be prepared. In April 2022, the municipality contracted PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to deliver the study. Bill Moore, HRM’s executive director of community safety and a former deputy chief of Halifax Regional Police, was the project lead.

The study, made publicly available Friday, said the relationship between HRP and RCMP is “becoming increasingly strained resulting in and increasing safety risk profile.”

It said leadership is “disconnected and does not provide a consistent operational strategy,” as the two police forces have their own separate governance structures and operating models.

“Ultimately, the current policing model in HRM is fragmented and inconsistent,” it said.

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The report said there are “two paths” HRM can take: either adopt a single agency policing model, or adopt a truly integrated operating model.

It recommended that the municipality adopt an integrated model for police services “which maintains, but integrates, the HRP and RCMP.”

“An integrated model of policing will enable the required transformation of services sooner, with less disruption and risk in the community, and with less investment of resources and time,” it said.

But regardless of the model, it said “the need to partner and integrate between the HRP and RCMP will continue,” as RCMP still provides services in neighbouring communities, as well as specialist services.

Status quo not working

During the presentation to council Tuesday, PwC partner Bronwyn Burke said after amalgamation, the two police services were “merged but not integrated.”

She said PwC heard from 18 organizations, including HRP, RCMP, various community service providers, HRM administration, city councillors, and the Department of Justice throughout the study.

“Stakeholders … reiterated consistently the importance of building a future with the community in mind, and citizens in mind, with a shared vision and targeted outcomes for a proposed future model,” she said.

Coun. Tony Mancini, who made the initial motion back in 2021 to examine the municipality’s policing model, said “there’s a lot that’s been changed” since amalgamation.

Mancini said this is not the first report about policing services, taking note of the 2019 Wortley report examining racial profiling and street checks, and, more recently, the final report of the Mass Casualty Commission, which was highly critical of the RCMP response to the 2020 shootings that left 22 people dead.

“We owe the citizens of HRM … the ability to review our policing model on a regular basis,” he said. “Is the dual police model the right model for today and tomorrow?”

He said the new study serves as the “start of that conversation.” Mancini motioned that council follow the report’s recommendations to:

• refer the study to the Board of Police Commissioners for review;
• direct the municipality’s CAO to meet with the board and report to council on the result of their review;
• direct the CAO to meet with provincial representatives and request the municipality be a participant in the multisectoral council being developed by the province to review the structure of policing in Nova Scotia. The establishment of the council was a recommendation in the Mass Casualty Commission’s final report.

Coun. Waye Mason said after reading the report, it should be clear that “the status quo is not an option anymore.”

“What is clear is that we need integrated policing from top to bottom. What’s not clear to me is exactly how we’re going to do that,” he said.

While Mason said he agrees “wholeheartedly” with much of the report, he’s not sure if going with the integrated policing option will be practical or achievable.

Due to time constraints, Halifax Regional Council did not end up voting on the recommendations. The topic will be revisited at next week’s council meeting.