Halifax RCMP ask for 14 new officers for satellite offices, traffic unit

The Halifax RCMP is asking for the municipality to pay for 14 new officers, saying the positions are needed in growing suburban areas and a historic Black community.

The Mounties presented its 2025-26 budget request to the Halifax board of police commissioners on Monday.

The 14 roles would include a traffic position for Musquodoboit Harbour, a community policing officer in Sheet Harbour, and new satellite offices with six positions each in Fall River and Beechville, one of the oldest Black communities in Nova Scotia.

Supt. Don Moser, acting officer in charge of Halifax RCMP, told the board the satellite offices would be similar to the "successful" North Preston model and fit the recommendations from the Wortley report into street checks and a recent policing transformation study.

The 14 new members would cost the Halifax Regional Municipality about $2.6 million, which would go toward salaries, uniforms, fuel and capital costs like buildings and vehicles. 

Moser said the Mounties are moving to a more decentralized model where there are smaller offices created in various communities rather than a few large ones. These satellite offices bring enhanced visibility and the ability to "problem solve" with residents directly, Moser said.

"These offices are public-safety anchor points which will better position us within those communities for improved response times and accessibility," Moser said.

Increase in service calls

Moser said there's lots of upcoming development in the Beechville, Lakeside and Timberlea area, which is expected to grow by 12 per cent by 2028. Calls for service were up as of the end of November 2024, with 3,718 coming from Beechville compared to 3,206 from the same time frame in 2023.

Consultations held ahead of the RCMP's recent public apology to African Nova Scotians for street checks and other harmful interactions showed there was an "expectation" to open an office in Beechville, said Moser.

Fall River is expected to grow 15 per cent by 2028, Moser said, with a long-term care facility and changes to the Aerotech Business Park planned.

Calls in Fall River hit 6,396 by the end of November 2024, compared to 5,750 for the same time frame in 2023.

Offices would likely be in community centres

Moser said he's hopeful the offices could be incorporated into municipal facilities, like the new Beechville Lakeside Timberlea Community Centre and the Gordon R. Snow Community Centre in Fall River.

Coun. Becky Kent said she was supportive of new offices that could bring police closer to residents.

"The crime prevention piece is huge because of...the relationship building that's happening, and also so is the trust that develops with policing — not only with the members that are there, but in the larger force," she said.

The new traffic member posted to the Musquodoboit Harbour detachment would also support Sheet Harbour and the North Central office. The report said this area has seen 138 collisions as of the end of July 2024.

The report said there's an expected population growth of about 11 per cent in this area over the next four years.

No traffic program investments since '90s

The RCMP report said there haven't been new investments in the Halifax RCMP's traffic safety program since municipal amalgamation in 1996. The existing five-member traffic team has two officers in Lower Sackville, two in Cole Harbour, and one in Tantallon.

Traffic stops were the No. 1 type of call in Musquodoboit Harbour in 2024, with 635 as of the end of July.

The community police officer for Sheet Harbour would also be the first investment of a full-time position for the detachment since amalgamation in 1996, said the RCMP. It now has six regular members and one civilian employee. 

The Sheet Harbour area spans 37 communities and 87 kilometres along the Eastern Shore, the report said, and its population is expected to grow 15 per cent by 2033. 

The RCMP said this role is needed in light of the number of mental health calls received in the area, and the impact of Mounties driving people to and from hospitals within the urban core.

The Halifax RCMP is on track to exceed 60,000 calls for service in 2024, the board heard, up from 2023 when it had just over 50,000 and 56,500 in 2022.

Public consultation coming Wednesday

The Halifax RCMP currently has 206 full-time employees, of which 193 are paid for by HRM and 13 by the province. 

The public will weigh in on both the RCMP and Halifax Regional Police budgets during a virtual meeting Wednesday afternoon, before the board makes its recommendation.

The overall Halifax budget will be decided by regional council in April.