Halifax needs to transform policing by integrating its local force and RCMP, study says

A new report calls for dramatic policing changes in Halifax to integrate the city's municipal police and RCMP, saying the current system is the "root cause" of many issues.

The Policing Model Transformation Study was released Friday ahead of next Tuesday'smeeting ofall council members to discuss the matter.

At over 400 pages, the report from consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers provides a detailed roadmap for a better policing structure in Halifax underpinned by the clear message that the municipality does not have an integrated policing model, even though it has long been called that.

It suggests two ways forward for Halifax: create a trulyintegrated modelor pick one agency to deliver policing.

"This is a pivotal report in my opinion," Coun. Becky Kent, chair of the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners, said Friday.

"Change can happen. It should happen. It's being talked about across the country around policing, so this is a pathway to it."

Since amalgamation in 1996, RCMP have handled the rural parts of Halifax while Halifax Regional Police take urban calls.

Council asked for an analysis of the current situation two years ago. The report comes at a time when the province is planning to review overall policing in Nova Scotia, and finalizetheprovince's policing standards.

The report said the Halifax Regional Municipality now has a "dual policing model," meaning both services operatein silos, and bringing different responses to the same residents.

"The presence of two disconnected police operating models in HRM is the root cause of many of the challenges faced today," the report says.

RCMP would report to Halifax board

The report recommends the integrated modelbecause it said that choice would be cheaper, happen more quickly, and be safer and better for the public in the long run. Itwould see the RCMP and Halifax police operate together as one entity with the same training, policies and standards.

The force would report directly to a strengthened board of police commissioners. That would be a major shift, as right now Halifax RCMPreport toRCMP leadership inNova Scotiaand, ultimately,Ottawa.

The RCMP have resisted change in the past despite numerous reports calling for a review of the force's structure and training, including most recently the scathing Mass Casualty Commission's (MCC) report into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting.

The report also recommended that civiliansrespondto health and wellness calls. That is already a major goal of Halifax's current public safety strategy, the MCCreport and a police defunding report in Halifax.

It said about 20 per cent of current calls could be handled by these groups.

Peace officers, civilian responders could be hired

To boost that community response, the report said five per cent of municipal and RCMP officers in Halifax about 36 positions could be replaced with peace officers, and another 26 positions could be added to the community-led teams of navigators and health workers.

"At the end of the day,our policing services, they have been overtaxed on a lot of layers," Kent said.

"I see this as validation for what everybody has been saying and it's just one more piece that says 'yes change is ready.' But this one has extra detail and I like it."

The report said it could take four years to bring in a fully integrated force and cost between $2 million and$4 million.

Besides input from the federal government onthe RCMP, provincial legislation would have to be changed to allow for changes to the policing board.

The study gathered input from both Halifax police agencies, community groups, city staff and was led by Bill Moore, HRM's executive director of community safety and former deputy chief of Halifax Regional Police.

Staff are suggesting the study should go to the Board of Police Commissioners for review and a decision on what comes next.

Spokespeoplefor both Halifax Regional Police and RCMP said their agencies are reviewing the report, but could not offer specific responses yet.