Halifax police force to gain 22 new positions despite loud public opposition

Halifax Regional Police will get 22 new positions this year they say are needed to keep up with a growing population, even though some residents are strongly opposed.

Halifax Regional Municipality councillors approved the force's $98-million budget on Wednesday during a budget committee meeting. The total is about six per cent higher than last year. 

Most of the increase comes from mandatory increases to salaries and benefits, but about $1.2 million is for 22 new positions.

"All I can offer this meeting is a profound grief and a disgust with how these community consultations have gone," resident Frank Heimpel told councillors.

Heimpel echoed the message from most people who spoke against the increase at the budget committee in February, and at the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners this fall. They cited research showing more police do not lead to less crime, and called instead for investments in food programs, better transit, and civilian responses to mental-health calls and people who are homeless.

An open letter signed by more than 700 residents, businesses, and non-profits called for council to reject the increase. Some people have supported the idea of adding more community response officers, especially in downtown Dartmouth where residents said they've seen an increase in violence.

Halifax Regional Police originally asked for 24 more positions, but the Board of Police Commissioners voted to cut six community response officers to four.

The 22 positions include an officer for the hate crime unit, four community response officers, two positions with the police science training program, two for security checks, one for employee and family assistance, and 12 front-line patrol officers.

Two of these officers will be assigned to primarily work with the community safety department on projects like integrating Halifax police and RCMP, and creating civilian-led crisis options.

Coun. Becky Kent, chair of the police board, said council has approved millions to support the community safety department following recommendations from the city's defunding the police report and the Mass Casualty Commission.

"Change doesn't happen because we say we're not going to fund it. It's actually quite the opposite," Kent said after the meeting. "It takes time, and in the meantime we continue to have to provide policing in HRM, a growing city."

Both heads of Halifax Regional Police and Halifax RCMP have spoken in support of more civilian-led teams to serve people better, and help free up officers for police duties.  

But acting HRP chief, Don MacLean, said the new officers are needed as the force deals with understaffing due to officers off on sick leave, dozens of pending retirements, and thousands of hours a year where police are stuck waiting in hospitals with people getting mental-health treatment.

"Most of my asks were around frontline response and the ability to retain and recruit members in terms of building a viable police force," MacLean said.

Councillors Patty Cuttell, Shawn Cleary and Lindell Smith were the only ones to vote against the police budget.

Cuttell said she couldn't support the extra 12 patrol officers when the city is exploring alternatives to policing. She said the provincial government needs to change the law so someone other than a police officer can stay with people waiting to be admitted to hospital.

"That's not a policing issue, that's a health issue and we need better solutions — and I think as long as we just kind of keep filling those gaps, we're never going to get to those," Cuttell said after the meeting.

"We can't just keep increasing the police force year over year over year without some more strategic direction."

The Halifax RCMP's baseline budget of $38 million was also approved Wednesday. The Mounties' request for six new officers will be decided at the end of the month when other budget adjustments are decided.

The overall city budget will be passed in April.