Q&A: Halifax Regional Police chief talks about 2025-26 budget, domestic violence, retail theft

Halifax Regional Police has asked the board of police commissioners for a 3.3 per cent increase in its budget for the coming year, from $98 million last year to $101.2 million in 2025-26. 

Police said in December that the increase in funding would support more civilian positions, including the addition of new roles in domestic violence support. 

The request comes three years after a committee tasked with defining "defunding the police" presented its findings, including a recommendation to make financial reforms to the police. 

Information Morning Nova Scotia's Portia Clark spoke with Halifax Regional Police Chief Don MacLean on Tuesday about the budget, the surge of domestic violence cases in the province and other ongoing cases. 

Information Morning - NS14:54HRP Chief Don MacLean addresses domestic violence, retail theft and armoured vehicles

In the coming year, the Halifax Regional Police budget could grow to be higher than $100 million for the first time. Portia asks HRP Chief Don MacLean about the more funding for armoured vehicles and less funding for the Sexual Assault Investigation Team. Plus, police response to domestic violence and the shootings at the Africville reunion last year. 

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity:

Starting with a look at the armoured vehicle. I understand you've been using an RCMP armoured vehicle till now. What do you use that for?

The armoured vehicle is a piece of equipment used by our emergency response team when they respond to critical events, namely armed barricaded persons, active shooter threats and high-risk warrant executions.

How often, say in 2024, have you needed to use the RCMP armoured vehicle?

For the last couple of years, we used the RCMP vehicle eight times each year, so a total of 16. But that does not take into account the times when the RCMP vehicle is not available to us. 

The RCMP has a provincial mandate, they're responsible from Yarmouth to Meat Cove. So the reality is that their vehicle is not always available for our members for critical events that occur without any warning.

What would this vehicle do differently than the two armoured Ford F-350s that are arriving in the spring?

The F-350s are meant to replace the current F-150s that the emergency response team uses for their day-to-day operations. Because those vehicles are not armoured, a bigger chassis is required to support the weight of an armoured vehicle. 

An armoured vehicle requires line approval through a senior officer and a command situation.

The HRP tried to buy an armoured vehicle in 2019, but that idea was scrapped. It was supposed to cost around $368,000. What's the cost of this one?

We don't have an actual tender for the vehicle. But at this particular time, I believe that the budget request is around $600,000.

Can you describe the armoured vehicle so people know what we're talking about?

It's a ballistic vest on wheels. It has an imposing size and it's meant to carry the majority of the team, it will carry up to 10 members. It has no offensive capabilities. People describe it as a tank, but it's clearly not a tank. If I was a military person and I asked for a tank and I got an armoured rescue vehicle, I'd be woefully disappointed. But it does provide full Level 4 ballistic protection to our members, and that's what's obviously very important.

The armoured vehicle will come from the capital cost budget, not through the normal police budget process, which is subject to more public scrutiny. Why do it that way?

Those are the rules of HRM. All of our vehicles go through the capital cost budget. There are no vehicles in my budget that come in the operating budget.

A criminologist we spoke with said that sometimes an armoured vehicle can escalate a situation. What's been your experience?

I disagree with that assertion. I think that armoured vehicle provides more protection to the police, the public and the actual people that we may have to engage with. 

It allows us to get as close as we possibly can to bring negotiators into play. It allows us to maximize our defensive position and rely less on offensive capabilities. What I mean by that is that a normal police car does not provide cover. It's not like the movies where you can sit in the car and it will protect you from firearms. That's not a reality. 

Improving our defensive posture minimizes our need for us to engage in offensive capabilities. It expands our ability to provide non-lethal means in a safe manner. And overall, it's a better response to critical incidents for everyone involved.

Halifax has a lower rate of charges being laid — and of convictions — for sexual assault cases, than the national average. Why does the budget reduce funding for SAIT, the sexual assault investigation team?

There's a $16,000 difference, but that's more of an accounting issue. We would have gone over budget last year as well and there's no reduction in terms of the number of officers and really there's no change within our budget over the coming years.

This is the first budget to exceed $100 million. This follows discussions about the Defund the Police movement, which aimed to address how police often handle societal issues that might be better suited for social workers or mental health professionals. What do you think of that line of reasoning?

There's always going to be the reality [of] what resources could be taken from one place to use someplace else, regardless of what it is you're asking for. I get that. But at the end of the day, my responsibility is to provide policing services for the city. 

I think we've brought forward a very thoughtful and considerate budget request. There are some fixed costs around contractual and other things that are beyond anyone's actual control but I think our enhancements in terms of bolstering our civilian workforce allow us to do things better. I think it is a move in the right direction as well. 

HRM has taken very considerate steps in terms of enhancing its community safety profile and its community safety office, which allows us to work in concert with some of those issues that you've spoken of.

Would you like to go further with that?

I think HRM is going further with that. This year we're going to start looking at civilian mental health response and those types of issues, like sobering centres. I think that's all moving in the right direction.

We spoke with the Spring Garden Area Business Association this week, who is asking for a dedicated retail theft unit. Is that a priority for you? 

Retail theft is a growing problem. It's obviously something we recognize and we'll continue to work with the merchants, not just on Spring Garden Road but all over. 

But ultimately, we have to make decisions about the limited number of resources we actually do have. We will continue those discussions moving forward and we will continue to address those emerging issues. There was some significant work just done before Christmas, so we recognize that there is a need.

You've asked for funding two victim services workers, who would be assigned to domestic violence cases. What would those workers do?

In our current victim services model, this would add two bodies. One would be dedicated to supporting victims of domestic violence and the other one is actually dedicated to working with offenders who are involved in the system. So it's a two-prong approach and it's something we've been doing for quite some time. We just want to be able to enhance our capability in that area.

The report of the Mass Casualty Commission says some victims of intimate partner violence would not want to call the police because they don't want their partner to go to jail. Does that not seem to limit the effectiveness of a police-based response to domestic violence?

The issue of domestic violence is not one easily addressed. It's a complex issue that requires a whole societal response. We do recognize that certainly, individuals make their own decisions based on their own experiences. Nova Scotia does have a charge-first policy in the directive. This means the police need to investigate those matters and lay charges where the evidence warrants it.

There have been a lot of cases of deadly domestic violence recently in our province, including in the Halifax region. What are your thoughts?

It's tragic. I think it requires a whole societal response. Police for the most part are involved in these issues either during or when they occur. But obviously, we do need to put a preventative lens on some of these issues and look at what causes that type of incident to take place.

When you hear that some women or people in these situations are reluctant to call the police because they don't want their partner to go to jail, what are your thoughts?

That's concerning. I think those are more political decisions than they are operational ones at a police level. I think we need to hear all of the different perspectives to find what we believe to be viable solutions. 

What is the current state of the investigation into the shootings at the Africville reunion last year?

It remains a concerning issue for myself and I think you know everyone within our community. 

I've received regular updates on the matter. I'm not going to get into the specifics of investigative technique or where we stand because I think there is an issue with integrity and the investigation that needs to be maintained at this particular time. 

But I can tell you that we have spoken to upwards of 200 individuals that we know were there. We have received actually very few actual statements as to what occurred in little of actual probative value. But having said that, our investigators are diligently following up investigative leads and we'll continue to do so. 

So many months out from it, though. How hopeful are you given there's been a lack of statements about charges being laid?

Sometimes investigations take a long time, that's the unfortunate reality. I did a news conference earlier last year in relation to the Devon Marsman case, which took a very long time and that'll cause a lot of community grief. 

At the same time, investigators were working very diligently behind the scenes. There's no difference in this particular case. It's something that we will certainly continue to strongly advance. I urge anyone in the community who has information to come forward to help us deal with this matter. 

Given that some in the community are complaining that they've been left in the dark wondering what's going on, is there anything more you think your department could do to keep the community informed?

There's always a balance between informing communities and then investigative integrity based on the specifics of each individual case. 

I can tell you that our investigators are working very diligently at trying to solve this matter. I received regular updates on that and I'm confident they are doing all that they can to bring this matter to a successful conclusion.