The Halifax Regional Police (HRP) is one of a number of law enforcement agencies operating in the
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
; the other primaries being the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
and the
Canadian Forces Military Police
The Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP; french: Groupe de la Police militaire des Forces canadiennes) provide police, security and operational support services to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND) wo ...
. The city also is home to a small detachment of the
Canadian National Railway Police
The Canadian National Police Service (commonly referred to as the CN Police) is a private railroad police force protecting the property, personnel, and rail infrastructure of the Canadian National Railway in Canada and the United States.
...
.
The force has a total strength of 531 sworn officers, 151 civilian staff, 170 crossing guards, nine K-9 dogs and two horses. It is headed by Daniel Kinsella, chief of police. HRP is also responsible for armed security and response at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. A household in the Halifax Regional Municipality typically pays around C$28.39 per month for police services.
History
The Halifax Police Department was officially formed on October 28, 1864, although a system of constables had been operated in an unofficial manner since the first days of settlement, on July 18, 1749. Each ship arriving in the port city of Halifax would appoint one member of the crew to act as a constable responsible for the actions of the crew and passengers on board. In January 1799, the "night patrol" was formed to address a number of break and enters that hit the area in the previous year.
July 1813, was marked by widespread rioting and the militia were called up to take over policing duties. They were discharged in February 1814, but quickly re-instated less than a month later when rioting resumed.
In October 1864 the day watch and night watch merged to form the Halifax Police Department under City Marshall Garrett Cotter. Six divisions were formed with five men assigned to each sergeant. Halifax got its first detective in 1873.
The Dartmouth Police Department was established in 1874 following the City of Dartmouth's incorporation the previous year. The Dartmouth Police Department worked out of the Dartmouth Town Hall until the 1940s where it was moved to Wentworth Street. In the early 1990s, the Dartmouth force moved to a new headquarters at 21 Mount Hope Avenue. The Dartmouth Police Department had a number of "firsts" for Nova Scotia. Those include, first with winter and summer issued clothing, air conditioned cars, and dress uniforms. The force also was the first to have a K9 unit in the province as well as outfit its members with bullet proof vests. The town of Bedford did not have its own police force until 1982. The Bedford Police Station was located in the current day Cascade Spa building on the Bedford Highway and later relocated to
Sunnyside Mall.
With the April 1, 1996, creation of the Halifax Regional Municipality, the police forces of Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford were dissolved and merged into the new Halifax Regional Police (HRP). Policing in the new municipality was split between HRP covering the boundaries of the former cities of Halifax and Dartmouth and town of Bedford, while the
RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
covered Sackville and rural areas in the rest of the municipality.
Structure
Patrol division
The patrol division is divided up into three divisional areas:
* West -
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
to Sambro Loop
* Central -
Peninsular Halifax
* East -
Dartmouth
The patrol division has a special eight-car traffic unit, a park patrol unit, and a mounted unit (consisting of one horse, named “Jewelz”).
In addition to the visible patrol officers, the patrol division has several specialized units:
* Bike unit
* Emergency response team
* K-9 unit
* Mounted unit
* Public safety unit
* Quick response unit
* Traffic services unit
* Violent crime linkage analysis system (ViCLAS)
Criminal investigation division
The criminal investigation division is made up of four main sections: special investigations (SIS), criminal operations (CROPS), general investigations (GIS) and special enforcement (SES).
Special investigation section
The special investigation section is an integrated unit staffed by HRP officers as well as RCMP officers. This section is responsible for investigating sexual assault, proceeds of crime, financial crime, and homicide. The section also investigates
cold case
A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...
s, and has a high risk enforcement team which monitors high risk offenders in HRM.
Criminal operations section
Within the criminal operations section is a team of ''quality assurance readers''; eight sergeants who are responsible for ensuring the quality of all police reports. The quality assurance readers also determine which section should handle the investigation, if a follow up is necessary.
The investigative call back unit is responsible for contacting people involved in a police incident to ensure that all necessary information has been obtained or given out.
The crime analysis team monitors crime trends in the HRM, allowing police to have a better understanding of crime in the community.
The
Crime Stoppers
Crime Stoppers or Crimestoppers is a community program that helps people to provide Anonymity, anonymous information about Crime, criminal activity. Often managed by non-profit groups or the police, it operates separately from the emergency tel ...
unit is responsible for obtaining information about a crime from the public. Anyone with information about a crime can call anonymously to give police tips that may help with their investigation.
The
polygraph
A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...
unit is responsible for conducting polygraphs during the course of a police investigation, and during the hiring process.
The forensic identification unit is responsible for collecting, preserving and analyzing evidence for police investigations.
The
national weapons enforcement support team (NWEST) is a joint unit shared between the RCMP and other police forces throughout the country, including the HRP. They focus on the illegal movement of weapons within Canada.
General investigations section
The general investigations section is an integrated unit of HRP and RCMP officers. They are responsible for investigating all cases of
robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...
,
break and enter
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
and
auto theft
Motor vehicle theft (also known as a car theft and, in the United States, grand theft auto) is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle. Nationwide in the United States in 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reporte ...
. This unit also investigates cases of
arson
Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...
, serious
assault
An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...
, and firearms complaints.
Special enforcement section
The special enforcement section is an integrated unit of HRP and RCMP officers.
The drug section is in charge of enforcing the
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
The ''Controlled Drugs and Substances Act'' (french: Loi réglementant certaines drogues et autres substances) (the ''Act'') is Canada's federal drug control statute. Passed in 1996 under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's government, it repeals ...
. Primary focus is on street and mid-level drug trafficking, and also help with federal drug investigations. Drug awareness is also a priority for this section.
The combined forces intelligence unit is responsible for investigating organized crime. In addition to HRP and RCMP officers, this unit includes members of the
Canada Revenue Agency
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA; ; ) is the revenue service of the Canadian federal government, and most provincial and territorial governments. The CRA collects taxes, administers tax law and policy, and delivers benefit programs and tax credit ...
(CRA).
The vice unit investigates crimes of morality, such as gambling, prostitution, and pornography. This unit also investigates missing persons.
The port investigation unit is responsible for patrolling the lakes in HRM. The unit is also partners with the
coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
and the ports harbourmaster to patrol the Halifax Harbour, Bedford Basin, and Northwest Arm. The unit consists of about 20 HRP officers who patrol on jet skis and a
Boston Whaler
Boston Whaler is an American boat manufacturer. It is a subsidiary of the Brunswick Boat Group, a division of the Brunswick Corporation. Boston Whalers were originally produced in Massachusetts, hence the name, but today are manufactured in Edge ...
.
The Digital Forensics Unit is responsible for assisting the Fraud and Internet Child Exploitation units in gathering evidence to support their investigations.
Fleet
There are 233 vehicles of which 118 are marked vehicles and 115 are unmarked. These include cruisers, SUVs, vans, 12 motorcycles, four boats, a mobile command vehicle, six ATVs, and a forensics vehicle.
The HRP also utilizes five radar trailers, four utility trailers, and a bomb trailer.
Other responsibilities
Since 2011, the Halifax Regional Police are not responsible for bylaw enforcement for the HRM - pesticides, noise, smoking, dangerous and unsightly premises, sidewalk snow and ice removal, and curbside solid waste.
International policing
Three members made history in 1999. They were the first officers from a municipal force from
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (french: provinces de l'Atlantique), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising the provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec. The four provinces are New Brunswick, Newfoundlan ...
to serve on a
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
peacekeeping force in
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. Since then, 17 other HRP officers have served on peacekeeping missions in
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
, Kosovo,
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
,
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
and
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
.
References
External links
*
Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers
{{coord, 44, 38, 58.24, N, 63, 34, 50.10, W, region:CA, display=title
Government in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Law enforcement agencies of Nova Scotia
1864 establishments in Canada