Halifax Regional Police

You can submit a request online for any of the information or records listed in this Routine Disclosure Plan. Before submitting an application for routine access, remember:

1. A request submitted through a Request for Routine Access must be for a reasonable quantity of records – no more than 50 pages, otherwise an Access to Information Application will be required.
2. The records will be processed within a reasonable time frame, but no later than 30 days from the receipt of application.
3. Routine Disclosure Plans and Requests for Routine Access apply to information created after November 2012.

Records available through active dissemination for Halifax Police include:
 

General records:

• Overview of the business unit  
• Contact information
• Links to relevant legislation:
  • Controlled Drug and Substances Act
  • Criminal Code of Canada
  • Emergency “911” Act
  • Firearms Act
  • FOIPOP Act
  • HRM Bylaws
  • Municipal Government Act
  • Nova Scotia Involuntary Psychiatric Act
  • Nova Scotia Liquor Control Act
  • Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act
  • Nova Scotia Police Act

Halifax Police-specific records:

• Media reports are issued every 12 hours and outline incidents of significance, including those impacting public safety (posted to both Halifax.ca and Halifax Police’s social media accounts).
• Media releases are issued on all incidents of significance, including those impacting public safety (posted to both Halifax.ca and Halifax Police’s social media accounts).
• External crime mapping  is updated every 24 hours and includes the following offences:
  • Theft of motor vehicle
  • Theft from motor vehicle
  • Robbery
  • Break and enter
  • Assaults
• Crime and related statistics are released on a weekly, monthly and annual basis (posted to both Halifax.ca and Halifax Police’s social media accounts).
• Impaired driving charge statistics are released monthly (posted to both Halifax.ca and Halifax Police’s social media accounts).
• Traffic-related offences are released (posted to both Halifax.ca and Halifax Police’s social media accounts).
• Identified crime trends released as appropriate through media report and/or media release (posted to both Halifax.ca and Halifax Police’s social media accounts).
• Name of victims of homicides or fatality MVAs, with approval of the family.
• Names of charged persons after the information is laid (not in all cases).
• Names of charged officers after the information is laid.

Reports or studies produced by or for Halifax Police:

• Budget and business plan are published on Halifax.ca annually
• The following reports completed for the Board of Police Commissioners are actively posted on Halifax.ca:
  • Quarterly statistics report
  • Traffic section report
  • Personnel report (with names redacted)
  • Training report
  • Volunteer report
  • Minutes of the meetings (excepting in camera)

Records available through routine access include:

General records:

• Generic information about current benefits and hours of work
• Current job descriptions, salary ranges or hourly rate, classification of positions.
• Employee expense reports for current fiscal year – either monthly totals or current year-to-date total.
• Cost of sending a delegation out of the province to attend conferences/training/etc.
• Expenditure reports, by cost element (salaries, office supplies, travel, etc.), for a maximum of four cost elements per year per requestor, including:
  • Expenses for training and operational travel, except information that would compromise operational techniques
  • Overtime by division, either monthly totals or current year-to-date totals, subject to the approval of the superintendent

Halifax Police-specific records:

• Cost of special or specific events held within the previous six months
  • Statistical reports that do not require a significant amount of resources to produce
  • Specific requests for policies or procedures will be released only with the approval of the responsible Superintendent.

Note: The availability through Routine Access of the General and Business Unit Specific records identified above may be subject to the following law enforcement exemptions prescribed under MGA 463(2) (f) and MGA 480(3) (b):

• A record relating to a prosecution, if all proceedings in respect of the prosecution have not been completed
• A disclosure of personal information is presumed to be an unreasonable invasion of a third party's personal privacy if the personal information was compiled, and is identifiable as, part of an investigation into a possible violation of law, except to the extent that disclosure is necessary to prosecute the violation or to continue the investigation

Halifax Regional Police will continue to review information which may be provided under the Routine Access Policy and will update this Disclosure Plan accordingly on a yearly basis.