Public reaction split over Halifax police ask for 24 new positions

HALIFAX, N.S. — Some HRM residents say police can’t be trusted with more taxpayer funding. Others say more police officers are desperately needed, particularly in downtown Dartmouth.

“I’m really sick and tired of cops getting money they don’t deserve,” Lou Campbell told the board of police commissioners on Wednesday night during a public hearing. Halifax Regional Police are asking for 24 new positions for the next budget cycle.

Campbell said police shouldn’t be trusted with mental health calls and giving them more money and staffing won’t help that issue.

On the other side, business owners and downtown Dartmouth residents said the exploding homeless population has caused all kinds of problems, including crime and loss of business.

“Downtown Dartmouth has gone to despair” and it’s “horrific down here,” said Chandler Haliburton.

“The police need more funding. We need more bodies, period,” Haliburton said. “The violence and crime is out of control in downtown Dartmouth right now.”

The ask

Acting HRP Chief Don MacLean says the department needs:

• 18 constables for the patrol division.
• One hate crime constable.
• Two instructor positions.
• Two civilian investigators to run background checks for new recruits.
• One Employee and Family Assistance Program co-ordinator.

It might seem early to talk about the operating budget for 2024-25. That’s because the board wanted more time for discussion, public consultation and fine-tuning before it’s sent along to Halifax Regional Council for the final vote. Last week, MacLean laid out a framework for the budget — with no numbers attached yet.

On Wednesday night, the board hosted the first public feedback session on the framework. This one was virtual-only, with another meeting set up next month for in-person feedback.

A cost analysis of this budget framework will appear in front of the board on Nov. 15.

More on what people had to say

Thirteen people spoke to the board on Wednesday, with reactions almost evenly split.

Dartmouth property manager Ursula Prossegger said she is tired of her property being vandalized by “street people” and having to remove garbage left behind that is a fire risk. She said Dartmouth’s downtown is being choked with homeless encampments, and she was critical of HRP’s hands-off approach.

“I do really hope the police get the staffing it needs … I miss those foot patrols.”

Sandra McKenzie, chair of the Alderney Landing board, said they’re proof that community policing works. She said when they had a community officer earlier this year, incidents went from five or six a day to a few per week.

She asked the board to give police the resources they need to keep communities “safe and inclusive.”

Trina James said she was concerned about what she was hearing about “the villainization” of unhoused people and the idea that policing will fix it. She said what will fix it is affordable housing and access to mental health resources.

Several others talked about their bad experiences with police and reiterated calls for defunding and removing police from mental health calls.

Why the positions are needed

For years, the force has reported that it’s understaffed. In the 2023-2024 budget, HRP asked for five new positions but didn’t them.

MacLean said that since January, on average, four to five officers  who are off need to be called in each day to achieve their operational numbers.

Since they got rid of using polygraphs on new hires, the hiring process requiring extensive background checks is labour intensive and police are asking for two civilian investigator positions to help out.

“Hiring people is maybe one of the riskiest things we do and we need to get it right,” MacLean said last week.

They’re also asking again for a position dedicated to investigating hate crimes, which are growing, and two instructors to run the nine-month program for cadets. And rounding out the ask is one position to help with the employee and family assistance program.

Mental health calls

Twelve of the new patrol constables would be highly trained to handle mental health calls, similar to those in the mobile mental health unit. Police spend a large amount of time on mental health calls, as MacLean reported that HRP spends close to 4,500 hours a year in the hospitals and there are over 8,700 hours in a year.

HRP is also working on a project with the health authority where a police officer can guard more than one person at the hospital, freeing up others to take more calls. According to the law, police officers are required to be there on mental health calls if there is a concern they will injure themselves or others, until they are released by a doctor.

Body-worn video cameras

When the framework returns next month, it will also have a cost estimate for a body-worn video camera co-ordinator position. Funding for it was approved in 2021-22 but the position wasn’t filled and the work has not progressed.

The RCMP is testing them now and HRP should be co-ordinated with them, MacLean said last week.