Media Room

News Release

More than 50 % of Policing Study Recommendations Reviewed, Implemented

(Wednesday, July 16/2003)-- More than half of the recommendations contained in the consultants report on Halifax Regional policing services have been addressed or implemented in less than a year, it was announced today.

Mayor Peter Kelly; HRM Chief Administrative Officer George McLellan; Gregory North, Chair of the Halifax Regional Police Commission; Chief Frank Beazley, of Halifax Regional Police; and Superintendent Vern Fraser, Officer-In-Charge RCMP Halifax Detachment held a news conference at City Hall this morning to report on the progress of the Policing Study.

The Perivale + Taylor Report , entitled "Partners in Policing - The Halifax Regional Police Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Community-- Taking Care of Business" was release to the public last October. It identified 81 recommendations for review and potential implementation that could impact on the alignment and delivery of policing services to the citizens of Halifax Regional Municipality.

Mayor Kelly, on behalf of Halifax Regional Council, said today he was pleased with the progress of the review and implementation process so far, which result in great efficiencies and enhanced policing services for the citizens of HRM.

The Mayor said HRM is unique in the delivery of policing services in Canada, because that responsibility is shared by the Halifax Regional Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

"There is no other jurisdiction in Canada that has this policing model. We believe that the delivery of policing services between HRP and the RCMP can be seamless. The end result for our taxpayers will be elimination of any duplication in services and improved service in many communities, " he said.

CAO George McLellan said the Perivale + Taylor Report confirmed many of the areas where staff believed there could be greater cooperation and greater efficiencies between the two policing services.

Mr. McLellan said "There is no need of having two police canine units, two street drug units, two fraud units etc. HRM is one municipality and it is our responsibility to ensure that our citizens receive maximum benefit for their tax dollars. Crime and public safety knows no boundaries within HRM so policing services should know no boundaries-- geographical or otherwise" he said.

Gregory North, Chair of the Halifax Regional Police Commission, "As a citizen, I am very excited about this integration of services. When a call is made to police for assistance, we do not care about the colour of the uniform or the writing on the side of the police car. We just want help as quickly as possible. The joint commitment by the RCMP and the HRP to become a fully integrated and seamless force will enhance the delivery of policing services in a way that will hugely benefit all who live in HRM."

Chief Beazley, of Halifax Regional Police, said "This is one municipality with two police forces with a common objective to provide efficient, seamless policing to achieve our goal of making HRM the safest community possible. We will be as close to being one organization, without being one."

Supt. Fraser, the Officer in Charge of RCMP Halifax Detachment, said "I embrace the opportunity to join with Chief Beazley in leading both policing organizations into this innovative venture. The citizens of HRM will benefit significantly as a result of bringing together the strength of both agencies." In the spirit of promoting safe communities, Supt. Fraser views the integration of HRM policing services as a crucial step in fulfilling the overall HRM vision.

--30--

John O'Brien
HRM Corporate Communications Officer
(902) 490-6531

Theresa Rath Brien
Halifax Regional Police
(902) 490-5063

Lisa Drummond
RCMP, Halifax Detachment
(902) 869-5076

---

Review and Implementation

The joint HRP/RCMP Project Teams met regularly and responded to 45 of the 81 Policing Study recommendations to date. There are still a number of recommendations being worked on with the Board of Police Commissioners, and a number that are being addressed through the Integrated Dispatch and Telecommunication Project (IDTP). The following is a high-level description of the responses to the recommendations:

• HRP and RCMP agree to create a joint Business Plan for 2004-2005 (# 6)
• RCMP has agreed to enter into a "Roles and Responsibility " document that would grant the Board of Police Commissioners an increased ability to offer strategic direction and advice to the RCMP (# 8)
• The RCMP (Halifax Detachment) has agreed to use the HRM Corporate Scorecard as the basis for performance indicators . ( # 19)
• HRP and RCMP agree to utilize the HRP Cells as the primary lock-up facility for the Cole Harbour, Tantallon and Lr. Sackville offices. This agreement, coupled with agreements on the integration of Court and Prisoner movement activities, should provide efficiencies and reduce duplication of services. (#39)
• RCMP and HRP agree to integrate their command structures. This integration will align senior staff from the each agency in a unified command model, that will oversee police deployment in a united approach. The unified command will oversee a number of integrated units.
• HRP and RCMP have agreed to a number of Integrated Specialized Units. This reorganization has allowed for the formation of the following services without any increase in the total number of officers. The integration has actually created additional capacity to implement new services from the existing resources.

  The units agreed to were:

Integrated Major Crime Unit (Homicide)

Integrated Sexual Assault Unit

Integrated "Cold Case" Unit (Unsolved Homicides)

Integrated Internet Child Pornography Unit

Integrated Police Service Dogs/K9 Unit

Integrated Court Unit

Integrated Street Drug Unit

Integrated Fraud Unit

Integrated General Investigation Unit

Integrated High Risk Offender Unit

Integrated Vice Unit

Integrated Call Back Unit

• RCMP and HRP agree that there are some services that would provide better service through an agreement to increase the levels of mutual aid between the agencies. The rationale in these cases is that it is necessary that each agency maintain their own teams because of differing mandates. However, it was agreed that these teams would examine joint training, sharing of equipment and back-up.

The units involved are:

Explosive Disposal Units

Emergency Response Teams

Public Safety Units

Polygraph

• HRP and RCMP agree to jointly develop and coordinate volunteer services.(#49)

Future Steps

• HRP and RCMP agree that there may be additional capacity created through the integration of the uniformed patrol functions.
• The future integration of patrol can only be achieved after the creation of the Integrated Dispatch function. RCMP supports the Integrated Dispatch and Telecommunications Centre Project scheduled to go-live in May 2005.
• The key to making the dispatch centre a reality will be the successful interface of the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software. All indications are that this will be achieved. .

-- 30 --

---

HRM Integrated Dispatch Project

The RCMP has agreed in principle to the following as it relates to the Integrated Dispatch and Telecommunications Centre (IDTC) Project. The recommendations are still being discussed, but the following provides an overview of the current status of discussions.

• RCMP will be stakeholders/partners in the municipality's IDTC and supports it as the primary dispatch for police services in HRM.
• RCMP supports the centralization of 911 call centres for all emergency calls within the HRM to the IDTC
• RCMP supports the use of the Trunked Mobile Radio (TMR ) System to support all police services in HRM.
• RCMP supports the use of a common Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and agrees to use the HRM selected Versaterm system, subject to interface issues.

Senior officials said integration of the RCMP into the IDTC Project has been ongoing and progress is being made. Representatives from the RCMP are being consulted on a wide variety of issues. The interface requirements required to complete the CAD interface are presently being researched by the RCMP and plans are in place to have the technical personnel from the RCMP and HRM meet soon regarding the issue.

-30---

---

Immediate Benefits of Changes:

1. The increased capacity created through integration of certain services has created the potential to staff three (3) services in which new resources had previously been requested in the 2003/2004 Business Plans of the HRP and RCMP. If the integration is successful, there will be no further requirement to seek additional new resources to fill these requests.



2. HRP had requested eight (8) additional officers to create a full time beat on Gottingen Street. The integration had created six (6) officers within the present HRP organizational structure that could be re-deployed to this beat.



3. RCMP had requested two (2) additional officers to create a Sexual Assault Unit. The integration has provided this service from within the present RCMP organizational structure.



4. HRP had requested two (2) additional booking technicians. With the decision to utilize the HRP Cells as the primary lock-up facility for Halifax Detachment (Cole Harbour, Tantallon and Lower Sackville offices) there will be a cost saving in the prisoner expenses presently paid by the RCMP that may offset the increase of additional booking technicians to the centralized facility.



5. Additional service can be provided through new units that had not previously been requested or budgeted. These two services are the Internet Child Pornography Unit and the Cold Case Unit. These units are being created from existing service levels with no increase in the overall full-time employee establishment.

-- 30---