Joint training, shared tech considered as Halifax moves to integrate police and RCMP

Halifax is moving ahead on work to integrate its municipal police force and the RCMP serving the region, which could see forces eventually share training and technology.

The city's board of police commissioners received an update Wednesday on progress implementing recommendations from the Policing Model Transformation Study from April 2023.

The report from consultant PricewaterhouseCoopers said the Mounties and Halifax Regional Police (HRP) need to work better together. 

Since municipal amalgamation in 1996, RCMP have handled the rural and some suburban parts of Halifax while HRP takes urban calls. But both forces often respond to the same scenes, depending on the situation and who's the closest available officer.

The report also called for civilian teams to respond to health and wellness calls, rather than police. So far, most of the progress has been around this recommendation, and the municipality's new community safety department said it hopes to create those teams this year.

"I'm glad to say that community safety, HRP, and RCMP are starting to work collectively together now in a very good fashion," Bill Moore, executive director of community safety, told the board.

In the update, the heads of Halifax RCMP and HRP suggested multiple areas of operations where the forces could be integrated, including training and communications, hate crime response, canine units, body-worn cameras, special RCMP resources, and Emergency Response Teams.

Moore said a civilian project manager will be hired soon to consult with both forces and municipal staff to build an action plan for the integration work. The police board and regional council will also have a say.

"Basically start to work with these groups and say, 'OK, which recommendations are we going to tackle first, or in parallel at the beginning?" Moore said.

The Mass Casualty Commission's final report also recommended better training and policies between RCMP and municipal forces where they have integrated teams, and having civilian teams to respond to low-risk mental health calls.

During the mass shooting four years ago, RCMP leaders didn't initially call in HRP or other municipal forces for help as a gunman drove across the province killing 22 people, including a pregnant woman. 

In his testimony before the commission, Chief Supt. Chris Leather of the Nova Scotia RCMP said this was out of concerns about interoperability, communications, training and expectations during such a major event.

"I think it's fraught with risk," he said in July 2022. "When they come together to work in a high-risk scenario, if they're not reading from the same page, if they're not aligned in terms of their thinking, their training and how they address a situation, what an awful place to experience that breakdown."

Although it's important to get the work underway, Halifax CAO Cathie O'Toole said major changes will likely have to wait until the province finishes its overall policing review.

That is set to be delivered by April 2025, but O'Toole said it's likely the deadline will be pushed out because the panel leading that work only had its first meeting on Wednesday.

"But in the meantime, we know that there are actions we can take now … that will improve delivery of policing within the municipality," O'Toole said.

Moore said both police forces and the community safety department plan to bring a joint budget and business plan before council for the 2025-26 year.