The RCMP and Halifax Regional Police have been discussing the pluses and minuses of continuing to have RCMP contract policing in the HRM (See “Cop vs. cop,” Reality Bites by Tim Bousquet, page 4). The question has apparently been decided on cost effectiveness with some politics thrown in and very little public engagement.
At present we have in the region two police chiefs: the Chief of the Halifax Regional Police and the superintendent of the RCMP, who each look after their respective police services. On paper the chief of Halifax Regional Police is responsible for all of HRM, however in reality he does not call the shots for the RCMP who are under contract to HRM.
The present arrangement appears to have failed, since Halifax still has one of the highest rates of violent crime in Canada. Why is the rate so high if we have two capable agencies combining resources? Maybe it is because there are separate policies involved and separate accountability processes. Maybe it is because of local RCMP stewardship or maybe it’s because of stewardship within the Halifax Regional Police—most other regions have one police service but HRM has two, yet still remains in the top 10 most violent cities in Canada.
On the economic side, does HRM need to rely on contract policing or is it prepared to police the HRM under one police agency? No doubt the size of HRM will once again limit our options. —Jim Hoskins, Halifax
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Cop vs Cop
This article appears in Mar 4-10, 2010.
Originally I was all for the staus quo & went along wih my neighbors out here in the boonies, on keeping the RCMP in the subburbs & cops in town. But after reading some of the ideas about double costs ie. 2 chiefs etc. & with the latest revelation that the RCMP in the Enfeild area are so starved for something to do besides issue speeding tickets on the 102, that now they are going after the organized criminal element out here, yes that loose affiliation of hardened criminals, known as …Street Hockey Players ! Who often ‘organize’ their nefarious plans while in our schools, or over the phone, & BAMMMMM before you know it another group is out on the dead end & low volume residential streets causing unbearable 3 & 4 second wait times as they step out of the way & move their nets…I mean ,move their illegal barricades .
Yes, I’ve definately been having second thoughts, but not so much about town police to country police services…but to just giving any officer who has a lapse of common sense in reguard to kids playing street hockey. That I believe those officers should get unpaid suspensions of a month or so, let them get their priorities straight, after all most of the logo’s & rhetoric from these police services say they are here ” To Serve & Protect” , while more & more it seems to me, they’re actually just here ” to harrass & infuriate “!