City supports more police jobs
Additions also planned to create mobile outreach and crisis response programs
Halifax council approved 22 new positions for Halifax Regional Police on Wednesday.
After multiple sessions over several months both at the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners and at the budget committee, with dozens of residents sharing their concerns (mostly against), councillors have approved the draft budget for both RCMP and Halifax
Regional Police. The final HRM budget will be approved in April.
HRP is getting 22 new positions — including a body-worn camera co-ordinator position — with a 2024-2025 operating budget of $98,011,400. That’s an increase of more than six per cent.
The RCMP have asked for six new hires and a budget for HRM of more than $38 million — a 15.2 per cent increase over last year. RCMP funding is cost shared with the provincial and federal governments.
The request for six additional hires was sent along to the budget adjustment list debate and vote next month.
Last month, council decided to defer the vote on the police budgets until after hearing the community safety budget.
MOBILE OUTREACH AND CRISIS RESPONSE
It was the first budget season for the community safety department which was created about a year ago and covers (among others) housing and homelessness, emergency management, food security, community standards and compliance.
The community safety budget, presented to the budget commitee last week, is just over $13 million.
But councillors wanted to do more. They approved all six of the over-budget items which will move forward to the budget adjustment list debate and vote scheduled for April 2.
■ $250,000 for the Enhance Safe City Program which involves creating a women-centered reporting service for survivors of gender-based violence and sexual violence.
■ A new full-time position ($106,300 a year) for someone to create a community crisis response model for the municipality.
■ A new full-time position ($106,300 a year) for someone to run a mobile outreach and transportation service.
■ $325,000 to establish a mobile outreach and transportation service.
■ $60,000 directed to the diversion plan — actions to prevent people from experiencing homelessness which could include food vouchers or heat payments.
■ $50,100 to hire five more crossing guards to help with demands particularly with a new school in Bedford.
Bill Moore, executive director of community safety, said the outreach involves a care provider to perform well-being checks that are not criminally related and relatively low risk. He said they will be providing “low-level mental health interaction.”
Coun. Sam Austin (Dartmouth Centre) called this work “a no brainer” and said there are huge payoffs not just financially but “dealing with people in a much more humane way.”
This commitment shows action towards the work done in relation to the 2022 Defunding the Police report, said Coun. Lisa Blackburn (Middle/upper Sackville - Beaver Bank - Lucasville).
“In my mind, this is the work of detasking the police in real time,” she said.
With councillors voting unanimously on all of the over-budget items for community safety, it was a quick vote for the police budgets on Wednesday with no debate.
“I’m satisfied now that we’ve seen the community safety budget and we now have to have the debate about the budget adjustment list, we’re in a much better place,” said Coun. Waye Mason (Halifax South Downtown). “I feel confident we can move forward with this without further debate.”