Article content“When I sat here before in the past, I talked about adding more bodies and doing more things so we can get out to do proactive calls,” MacLean said. “These are the results that we were actually looking for. Traffic stops, proactive calls for patrols, those kinds of things.”Article contentDuff concurred that a rise in proactive calls is a positive.Article content“From a policing perspective, it means we’re out doing those type of things,” Duff said.Article contentShoplifting on the riseArticle contentAll types of crimes against property in HRM were down in 2025, except for shoplifting.Article contentWhile robberies dropped 12 per cent from the previous year and frauds, break and enters and theft over $5,000 fell significantly, there were 602 additional incidents of shoplifting, a 22 per cent hike, in the urban core. Shoplifters have predominantly targeted grocery and liquor stores.Article content“From an HRP perspective, there are lots of storefronts, lots of shoplifters,” MacLean said. “That’s why we’ve worked with the retail councils, particularly in the Spring Garden Road area, or some of the major retailers that have been affected.”Article contentArticle contentConversely, shoplifting was down 43 per cent within the RCMP jurisdiction, but Duff expects that to change for the next biannual update.Article content“I’ll be interested to see the next report because we’ve seen multiple liquor store thefts occurring outside HRP in the last month or so,” Duff said. “I’m not that hopeful the numbers are going to be quite as nice this time around.”Article contentRadar cameras could combat speedersArticle contentOn the streets of HRM, the number of motor vehicle collisions in 2025 was down seven per cent and injuries from MVAs dropped significantly, from 515 in 2024 to 411. But there was one more motor vehicle fatality this year (eight) in HRM.Article contentWhile accidents are down, commissioners were still concerned about motorists with lead feet.Article content“We receive constant, if not daily, complaints about speeding,” deputy mayor Tony Mancini (Dartmouth East – Burnside) said.Article contentArticle content“I know our traffic department has been depleted. And our city has grown so large that it’s outgrown our police enforcement. I’m hoping by adding more officers, some of those officers will spend a little more time on traffic.”Article contentThe province has contemplated adding speed radar cameras on Nova Scotia roads under the Traffic Safety Act. It’s an issue that has been debated for years, including a recent regional council meeting.Article contentMancini is in favour of cameras being adopted to help combat persistent speeding.Article contentCommissioner Vincent Beswick-Escanlar, a family physician and flight surgeon, called the cameras “a good bang for a buck thing.”Article content“From a public health perspective, even a small reduction in speed would make a difference,” Beswick-Escanlar said. “You do get a 44 per cent reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes in locations that have cameras versus those that do not.”Article content
Number of reported sexual violations in Halifax have risen, latest crime report says
