Police Services in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
(RCMP and Halifax Regional Police)

Last updated April 17, 2010

Note:  The Maritimes Scanning Site does not list by name or number the digital and encrypted talk groups used by the Halifax Regional Police or the NS RCMP.  Information presented here includes only that which is readily and publicly known via normal public knowledge, including official websites and publications.   This stand is based on my personal circumstances.   Those requiring talk group information may find it on other hobby websites in our region.

A. GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO POLICING IN HRM

The Halifax Regional Municipality is a unique entity in Canada.  Not only is it in fact the largest city in Atlantic Canada in terms of population (300,000+), it is also the largest municipality in geographical extent.  In fact, as its name implies, it is not really a city in the usual sense.  It is made up of a combination of urban, suburban, fringe and rural areas.   HRM was a marriage of the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth, and the town of Bedford, as well as the Rural Municipality of the County of Halifax.   At that time there were three separate municipal police forces, one for each of the cities, and the town.   The Halifax County area was under the jurisdiction of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police through detachments at Tantallon, Lower Sackville, Cole Harbour, Musquodoboit Harbour, Sheet Harbour, and Enfield.

The HRM is also unique, perhaps in all of Canada, in the present provision of policing.   When HRM was established the three municipal police forces were amalgamated into the Halifax Regional Police Service; however the RCMP remained with its jurisdiction over its former areas, with a few minor modifications.   The result is that this is the only "city" in Canada patrolled by two police forces.   Over the past few years, the two forces have become more and more cooperative, so that today they are integrated in terms of service provision, especially in the areas of criminal investigation and dispatch of services. The former separate RCMP detachments have been combined into the Halifax District Detachment whose commanding officer has his office in the same building as the chief of the Halifax Regional Police.   It can be said that the Halifax Regional Municipality has two police chiefs, one for each area of jurisdiction, but the RCMP commanding officer is not referred to as a "police chief".   The HRP chief outranks the RCMP C.O. who is a Superintendent, but the chief has no power of command over him.   According to an HRM publication delivered to households in April 2010 there are 720 sworn police officers (524 HRP and 196 RCMP) plus civilians, including those enforcing by-laws only.  Investigative units, Police dog services (K-9) and some administrative support services have become unified.   Since this amalgamation northwestern areas of HRM that had been patrolled by the Enfield detachment (based outside HRM) have now come under the jurisdiction of a new RCMP office in Middle Musquodoboit. Specialized federal statute oriented components of the RCMP  are not part of this unified regional force, nor is the highway patrol unit known as Metro Traffic Services.    Note in this regard that there is also an integrated traffic unit serving the core areas of HRM under the immediate supervision of a HRP Sergeant and uses HRP vehicles but has some RCMP members.   It is also true that in the general patrol duties that members from either service may be assigned to the other's area of jurisdiction for familiarization and with full powers.    Furthermore, vehicles travel freely amongst areas of jurisdiction and may often be seen making traffic stops or assisting as backup in incidents.

As of December 2008 the nine zones of the joint HRP/RCMP service (each with its own local office) are as follows:

HRP Central (serving the peninsula area of the former city of Halifax)
HRP West (former town of Bedford, mainland area of former Halifax, Sambro loop formerly patrolled by RCMP)
HRP East  (former city of Dartmouth)
RCMP Tantallon (former county Hammonds Plains and westwards)
RCMP Lower Sackville (Sackville, Beaver Bank, Fall River, airport areas)
RCMP Cole Harbour (Eastern Passage/Cole Hbr, Preston, Lake Echo)
RCMP Musquodoboit Harbour (west part of Eastern Shore)
RCMP Sheet Harbour (east part of Eastern Shore)
RCMP North Central (Musquodoboit Valley area, formerly patrolled by Enfield detachment)

Throughout the period from approximately 2006 to 2010 the concept of the joint policing model was under reconsideration.   In early 2010, based on consultant input, the Board of Police Commissioners recommended to HRM Council to replace the RCMP component of the joint service with an expanded HRP force.  This was apparently based on anticipated cost savings, especially in light of an expectation that the federal government would raise the charge to HRM for RCMP service when the contract would come up for renewal.   There was no indication of any dissatisfaction with the service provided.    In reaction there was some feeling expressed by politicians as well as the public that the RCMP, being a  federal force did not come under the same level of oversight by local authorities and politicians as would a local force. The revelation of the recommendation in the press brought forth a reaction from the public currently served by the RCMP and perhaps as a result of this, HRM Council voted to continue with the status quo, despite the cost savings.    Council did take criticism in the press for this reaction but clearly if they felt that the public wanted no change, then they did the proper thing.     We must therefore anticipate that this unique joint policing situation will continue for some time to come.

Radio Communications:

The integrated HRP/RCMP force does utilize the NS Trunk, with all internal communications being in the digital mode, with some also encrypted.    As of June 2005 a joint dispatch system was implemented, provided by the HRP and serving both forces.   To some extent the two police forces share channels and therefore it has become much simpler to assist each other when necessary; however separate command structures still exist.    RCMP units retain the ability to communicate with RCMP units in the remainder of the province. The dispatch centre operated jointly with Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency, is located in the Eric Spicer building on Mt Hope Avenue in Dartmouth, with a backup centre at Fire Station 8 in Bedford.  This centre also has access to liaison talkgroups for direct contact with Corrections (Burnside Correctional Facility), with the Military Police, with the Coast Guard, and with various EMO, GSAR and provincial government departments. 

Talk groups ("channels"):    It is not my intent to provide a full list of talk groups here, nor any talk group id numbers (see my statement at the top of this page); however it can be said that the following are the main dispatch channels:

Primary West, Secondary West  (HRP West and Sackville RCMP)
Primary Central, Secondary Central (HRP Central)
Primary East, Secondary East (HRP Central and Cole Hbr RCMP)
Tantallon (Tantallon RCMP)
Eastern Shore (Musquodoboit Hbr, Sheet Hbr and North Central RCMP)
CPIC (all units for requesting records checks -- this channel is not thought to be 24/7)

Each of the 3 HRP zones has its own dispatch talk group, for example "Primary East", as well as a backup, for example "Secondary Central".    Secondary channels are used in cases of multiple incidents, or for more detailed side conversation.     The East talk groups are also used by the Cole Harbour office of the RCMP, and similarly, the West talk groups are used by the Lower Sackville RCMP.   This means that in these two areas the RCMP and HRP are on the same talk group which facilitates instant mutual responses, as directed by dispatchers.     These two RCMP areas probably do retain their own RCMP talk groups from previous days, but these are basically no longer in use.    Tantallon continues to use its own RCMP talk group on a daily basis.   The other three RCMP offices cover large areas but are small in personnel and therefore all share one talk group.   Note that all HRP and Halifax RCMP radios have all of each others' talk groups.

There are several other talk groups in use by specialized HRP/RCMP units, some of which will be always or often  encrypted.     Additionally there are many other RCMP talk groups for specialized fedral policing purposes and heard quite often around Halifax, as well as some from RCMP detachments elsewhere in NS.   

HALIFAX  DISTRICT DETACHMENT OF THE RCMP:

This is a large detachment that follows the modern reorganization of small NS RCMP detachments into larger county-based ones.   Just previously to this detachment being formed there were separate detachments in Tantallon, Lower Sackville, Cole Harbour, Musquodoboit Harbour and Sheet Harbour.    As a historical note, when I arrived in the region in the mid-70's there were in the core area RCMP detachments in Halifax, based at headquarters on Oxford Street, Dartmouth (based in the Woodlawn area) and as well a "Halifax Highway" traffic unit based at Sunnyside Mall in Bedford.    The current Halifax District detachment is one of the largest in Canada.  Certainly there are some huge ones in the area around Vancouver, such as Surrey and Burnaby, but nevertheless Halifax is major, with a Superintendant in charge.   Most detachments in Canada are much smaller, with a Staff Sergeant or Sergeant in charge, or even in some cases a Corporal.  For information on the RCMP in Nova Scotia in general please go to the RCMP page in the Nova Scotia section of this site.

HALIFAX REGIONAL POLICE:

The Halifax Regional Police Service ("HRP") is operated as a department of the Halifax Regional Municipality.  There are three districts for patrol/general duty services: Central, which is the peninsula area, East, which corresponds to the former city of Dartmouth on the east side of the harbour, and West, which is made up of the "mainland" part of the former city of Halifax, plus the area of the former town of Bedford.   Each zone has its own dispatch channel and a backup.  East and West channels are also used by the adjacent RCMP units.  For more information about the HRP, including maps of the three districts and descriptions of support and investigative services, I suggest that you visit the official website:  http://www.police.halifax.ns.ca/ .  

In addition to the actual police service known as the Halifax Regional Police there are additional patrol and enforcement personnel operating under the jurisdiction of the police service but the personnel are not police officers.  By-law enforcement in general does come under the Police Department but using personnel with particular powers, such as Park Patrol, Parking Enforcement, Animal Control, and Unsightly Premises.   In all cases there is no power of arrest, and police are called in if necessary.  Of these services it is thought that Parking is dispatched via the police system, with the others possibly coming under the Works dispatch system.    Please note that there are two dispatch centres in one building.  One is the joint Fire and Police centre and the other is the Works and RPAM (Real Property) centre one floor down.    HRM has a third dispatch centre, for transit, located at transit headquarters in Burnside.

The 3 HRP zones are divided into neighbourhoods to which one or more cars are assigned.  These zones are described unofficially here:

West:     1 Sambro Loop, 2 Spryfield, 3 Fairview/Armdale, 4 Clayton Park, 5 Bedford Highway, 6 Bedford

Central:  1 South End/Downtown South,  2 Southwest Peninsula,  3 Northwest Peninsula, 4 Downtown North, 5 North End

East:  1  SE/Westphal,   2 W Portland and South, 3 Prince Albert/W Portland. 4 W Downtown/ MicMac, 5 N End Dartmouth, 6 Burnside, 7 NE Caledonia /Waverly Road

Vehicles are  marked with individual numbers; however these are not used much on-air.   Regular patrol vehicles are identified by the area they are assigned to...   for example in West Zone.... car 3A is one (maybe the only one) assigned to neighbourhood 3.    3B is the second one in that area.  Often there only is an Alpha car.    Community liaison officers and detective units are identified by the handle of the officer in them, such as Golf14 which would be General Investigation officer #14, whoever that is.