How police handle intimate-partner violence in Nova Scotia

The deaths of six women killed by their partners in recent months in Nova Scotia have led police to reflect on what more they can do to address such violence.

The provincial RCMP and Halifax Regional Police are either getting, or asking for, more domestic-violence resources, and taking part in initiatives aimed at reaching cases never reported to police.

"It doesn't stop," said Const. Jules Laraque, the domestic violence officer for Halifax police. "Every week I get 10 files at least."

The force saw 1,620 cases last year as of Nov. 1, 2024. Charges were laid in 701 of those files. Nearly 180 were considered high-risk, making up a large number of the roughly 500 high-risk cases in Nova Scotia each year.

Laraque reviews every intimate-partner violence file reported to Halifax police to make sure front-line officers have properly filled out risk assessments and investigated the situation.

He said officers that get a correction seldom make the same mistake again.

Laraque also works closely with the department's victim services team, and guides the accused through the justice process.

The recent New Year's Eve homicide in Halifax, where Corelee Smith and her father were fatally shot by her partner who then killed himself, was a tough case for HRP because the force had no reports of any abuse, Laraque said.

Calls for action after 6 N.S. women killed by partners in 3 months

28 days ago

Duration 2:10

As a community mourns the sixth Nova Scotia woman to be killed by her partner in six months, advocates are calling on the province to implement solutions such as mental health and housing supports to prevent future deaths from domestic violence.

"I wish we could be everywhere, but it's impossible and it's tough to always know what's going on," he said.

"The spike of [deaths] … I don't know, maybe times are tough, less money. Things are expensive now. I don't know. It's almost a losing battle. You don't know how to really fix this."

Halifax RCMP are in the midst of hiring two domestic violence officers for the first time, while other municipal forces often have senior officers offer a second set of eyes on such cases.

Police in Nova Scotia use the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment — or ODARA. Usually a score of seven or more is flagged as high-risk, although officers are expected under Nova Scotia police policy to also use their judgment.

Since 2004, the province's high-risk protocol triggers alerts to service providers like transition homes, the province's justice department, Public Prosecution Service, child welfare, and corrections.

Dolly Mosher, co-ordinator for victims' services with Halifax police, said the force also designates any case involving choking as high-risk even if it might not score high on the risk assessment.

"If somebody's deliberately putting their hands around somebody's throat and trying to kill them, then we need to be paying more attention to women who are saying 'he choked me,'" Mosher said.

Mosher said she sees the high-risk framework as a success, with only one of those cases resulting in a homicide over more than 20 years.

But as the province has seen, domestic homicides continue to happen in cases where there have been no police involvement.

That's why John Joyce-Robinson, executive lead on domestic violence with the province's justice department, told the Mass Casualty Commission in 2022 the province was launching a "highest-risk table" for files with imminent risk of violence.

That allowed health professionals to bring forward such cases for the first time, even if a police report hadn't been made, which Mosher said has been very helpful.

"All of the things that we were missing are kind of finally coming together," Mosher said.

Numbers from Statistics Canada put Nova Scotia at a lower rate of intimate-partner violence per 100,000 population than the national average in 2023: 338 in Nova Scotia compared to 354 in Canada.

That was roughly in the middle of the Atlantic provinces with P.E.I. coming in with a lower rate (288) but New Brunswick (449) and Newfoundland and Labrador (420) seeing higher rates.

But statistics should be taken with caution when it comes to domestic violence, with roughly 80 per cent of people never reporting to police. The number of women and children experiencing violence seeking help from women's shelters in the province also increased by 182 per cent since 2019.

Nova Scotia has a pro-arrest, pro-charge policy. Officers must lay charges if they believe a crime of intimate-partner violence took place, even if the victim doesn't want that to happen.

Some researchers have said this can deter victims from seeking help because they don't want their partner charged, just the violence to end.

The Mass Casualty Commission has recommended the policy should be replaced with a different framework that focuses on violence prevention.

Mosher said she knows intimate-partner violence is deeper and more widespread than numbers show. Her unit gets calls from across the province from anonymous women who don't want to get police involved in their cases, but want to know how to leave, or get help.

'There is help'

"Knowledge is not a heavy burden to carry. I think if people are worried about a relationship that they're in, make the call, ask some questions," Mosher said. 

"There is help. You can ask for it without having lights and sirens at your door."

Police forces also hire civilian domestic-violence case co-ordinators who do safety planning with victims, refer them to transition houses, and connect them with other means of support.

This year, Halifax police are asking for a third case co-ordinator and funding to continue a navigator supporting men accused of violence.

Cape Breton Regional Police also have a case co-ordinator, while other municipal forces send their high-risk cases to the provincial RCMP co-ordinators. That RCMP team reviewed 377 high-risk files in 2024, up slightly from 348 the year before. Numbers have risen steadily since 2019, when they handled 283 cases.

The Mounties said the province recently funded two new co-ordinators, bringing the team from three to five people this year.

"That is, I believe, one of the best opportunities we might have to address prevention measures as opposed to being a more reactive policing model," said Chief Supt. Dan Morrow, criminal operations officer with Nova Scotia RCMP.

Morrow said the case co-ordinators are also working on an education campaign with Transition House Association of Nova Scotia around "nuances" of domestic violence.

Morrow said the recent string of homicides has shocked him, adding he's never seen such a spike of deaths in his roughly 18 years in the province connected to intimate-partner violence.

Although Morrow said Nova Scotia RCMP have not increased their provincial funding request for a specialized sex crimes and intimate partner violence unit, he did not rule it out.

The Mounties are now reviewing whether they have the proper resources to handle these cases, Morrow said.

"If we feel that there's gaps … that's where we will seek funding from the province through our usual processes," he said.

For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• A list of transition houses across Nova Scotia.
• Family violence resources helpline 1-855-225-0220.
• Nova Scotians can call 211 to connect with community supports and resources.
• The Transition Housing Association of Nova Scotia website.
• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.