Halifax Regional Police
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| Halifax Regional Police |
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| Leading and partnering in our community to serve and protect. | |
| Established | 1996 |
| Jurisdiction | Regional |
| Sworn | 615 |
| Non-sworn | 321 |
| Stations | 8 |
| Chief | Frank A. Beazley |
The Halifax Regional Police is one of three law enforcement agencies operating in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia; the other two being the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Forces Military Police.
The force has a total strength of 615 sworn officers, 151 civilian staff, 170 crossing guards and 9 K-9 dogs. It is headed by Frank A. Beazley, Chief of Halifax Regional Police.
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[edit] Fleet
There are 233 vehicles of which 118 are marked vehicles and 115 are unmarked. These include cruisers, SUVs, vans, 12 motorcycles, 4 boats, a mobile command vehicle, 6 ATVs, and a forensics vehicle.[1]
[edit] Other Vehicles
- 5 radar trailers
- 4 utility trailers
- 1 bomb trailer
- New Beetle
[edit] Organization
The Halifax Regional Police is headed by the Chief of Police, who reports to Regional Council, the Chief Administrative Officer and the Board of Police Commissioners. The superintendent in charge of each division of the HRP reports to the Chief.[2]
[edit] Patrol Division
The patrol division is divided up into three divisional areas:
- Bedford to Sambro Loop - West
- Peninsular Halifax- Central
- Dartmouth- East
The patrol division has a special 8 car traffic unit, a park patrol unit, and a mounted unit (consisting of a single horse named Sarge).
In addition to the visible patrol officers, the patrol division has several specialized units:
- Bike Unit
- Emergency Response Team
- K-9 Unit
- Mounted Unit
- Public Safety Unit
- Quick Response Unit
- Traffic Services Unit
- Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (ViCLAS)[3]
[edit] Criminal Investigation Division
The Criminal Investigation Division is made up of four main sections: Special Investigation Section (SIS), Criminal Operations Section (CROPS), General Investigation Section (GIS) and Special Enforcement Section (SES).[4]
[edit] Special Investigation Section
The Special Investigation Section is an integrated unit staffed by HRP officers as well as RCMP officers. This section is responsible for investigating sexual assault, proceeds of crime, financial crime, and homicide. The section also investigates Cold Cases, and has a High Risk Enforcement team which monitors high risk offenders in HRM.[5]
[edit] Criminal Operations Section
Within the Criminal Operations Section is a team of Quality Assurance Readers, 8 sergeants who are responsible for ensuring the quality of all police reports. The Quality Assurance Readers also determine, if a follow up is necessary, which section should handle the investigation.
The Investigative Call Back Unit is responsible for contacting people involved in a police incident to ensure that all necessary information has been obtained or given out.
The Crime Analysis team monitors crime trends in HRM, allowing police to have a better understanding of crime in the community.
The Crime Stoppers Unit is responsible for obtaining information about a crime from the public. Anyone with information about a crime can call anonymously to give police tips that may help with their investigation.
The Polygraph Unit is responsible for conducting polygraphs during the course of a police investigation, and during the hiring process.
The Forensic Identification Unit is responsible for collecting, analyzing and storing DNA evidence for the purposes of police investigations. This is a joint unit between the HRP and RCMP.
The National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST) is a joint unit between RCMP and other police forces throughout the country, including the HRP. They focus on the illegal movement of weapons within Canada.[6]
[edit] General Investigations Section
The General Investigations Section is an integrated unit of HRP and RCMP officers. They are responsible for investigating all cases of robbery, break and enter and auto theft. This unit also investigates cases of arson, serious assault, and firearms complaints.[7]
[edit] Special Enforcement Section
The Special Enforcement Section is an integrated unit of HRP and RCMP officers.
The Drug Section is in charge of enforcing the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Primary focus is on street and mid-level drug trafficking, and also help with federal drug investigations. Drug awareness is also a priority for this section.
The Combined Forces Intelligence Unit is responsible for investigating organized crime. In addition to HRP and RCMP officers, this unit includes members of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The Vice Unit investigates crimes of morality, such as gambling, prostitution, and pornography. The unit also investigates missing persons.
The Port Investigation unit are responsible for patrolling the lakes in HRM. The unit is also partners with the Coast Guard and Ports Harbourmaster to patrol the Halifax Harbour, Bedford Basin, and Northwest Arm. The unit consists of about 20 HRP officers who patrol on jet skis and a Boston Whaler.
The Computer Forensic Unit is responsible for gathering evidence in relation to computer hacking, internet prostitution and pornography, frauds, threats, and child pornography.
The Criminal Intelligence Service Nova Scotia (CISNS) is the provincial section of Criminal Intelligence Service Canada. Two members of HRP work full time with CISNS to gather and distribute intelligence relating to organized crime, terrorism, eco-terrorism, hate crime and technological crimes.[8]
[edit] History
The Halifax Police Department was officially formed on October 28, 1864, although the police department has been operated in an unofficial manner since the first days of settlement, on July 18, 1749. Each ship arriving in the port city of Halifax would appoint one member of the crew to act as a constable responsible for the actions of the crew and passengers on board. The Dartmouth police department was established in 1874 after the City of Dartmouth was incorporated in 1873. The town of Bedford didn't have its own police force until 1982.[9]
With the April 1, 1996 creation of the Halifax Regional Municipality, the police forces of Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford were dissolved and merged into the new Halifax Regional Police (HRP). Policing in the new municipality was split between HRP covering the boundaries of the former cities of Halifax and Dartmouth and town of Bedford, while the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) covered rural areas in the rest of the municipality. This was originally enforced rather rigidly, but has since been relaxed as both forces are integrating their efforts in the urban core. Patrol boundaries were subsequently expanded for HRP to include the "Sambro Loop", since this area can only be reached by RCMP by passing through the area of Spryfield, which was part of the original city of Halifax.
[edit] United Nations
Three members made history in 1999 they were the first officers from a municipal force from Atlantic Canada to serve on a United Nations peacekeeping force in Kosovo . Since then and now 17 other HRP officers have served on peacekeeping mission in East Timor, Kosovo, Sierra Leone and Haiti.
[edit] Other Facts
- A household in the Halifax Regional Municipality typically pays around $21.12 (Canadian dollars )per month for police protection.[10]
- The Halifax Regional Police also does Bylaw enforcement for the HRM - pesticides,noise, smoking, dangerous & unsightly premises, sidewalk snow & ice removal, and curbside solid waste.
[edit] References
- ^ Tax Booklet - What you get for your municipal tax dollar
- ^ Chief's Office - Halifax Regional Police - HRM
- ^ Patrol Areas - Halifax Regional Police - HRM
- ^ Criminal Investigation Division
- ^ Special Investigation - Halifax Regional Police - HRM
- ^ Criminal Operations - Halifax Regional Police - HRM
- ^ General Investigations - Halifax Regional Police - HRM
- ^ Special Enforcement - Halifax Regional Police - HRM
- ^ History - Halifax Regional Police - HRM
- ^ Tax Booklet - What you get for your municipal tax dollar
[edit] External links
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