HRM Archives, HPD photo#102-16N-0016.3 O/S

South Park St. from Sackville St. ca. 1890.  The photo looks south with the building housing the tearoom and washroom facilities in the Public Gardens on the right. The Halifax Police Department had this photo to show the house in which John Delaney was found sealing himself in a cupboard following the murder of his wife in 1919.  It is the first house on the left, formerly 187 South Park St.

Protecting Halifax's morality: 

Police Chief George Fox and Deputy Chief Angus MacLellan destroy an illegal one arm bandit ca. 1950.

From 1925 to 1976 only charitable gambling, raffles, bingo and horse betting were permitted in Nova Scotia.

HRM Archives, HPD photo#102-16N-0004.1, taken by Wilfred Doucette, Halifax Chronicle and Daily

HPD photo#102-16N-0008.2

HPD A. & R. Club Champion Athletes 1920

Back row- A. Callaghan,
G. Fox, M. McLean, C. Fulton (killed on duty in 1924)

Middle row- Jas.
Buchanan, Chief
Hanrahan, Insp. L.
Lovett, A. Woollaston

Front row- T.
MacDonald, H. Lawlor 

HPD and HFD hockey teams 1940-1945,
Navy League Building.

Can you identify any of these officers? Many individuals in the Archives' images are unidentified, so we can aways use assistance identifying photos.

Photo taken by J.C.M. Hayward. 

Annual Pistol
Competition
June 8, 1966

Photo shows First Place Team winners. L-R-Cst. L. Swinimer, Cst. E. Joyce, Insp. R. Bedgood Team Captain, Cst. G. Legge, Cst. A. Wyatt, Chief V.W. Mitchell presenting trophy.

Photo by IDENT

HRM Archives, HPD photo#102-16N-0059.1

Constable Art Francis with a boy from the Halifax Infants Home, ca. 1940.

Winnifred Keddy, who used to work at the Home, sent this image to HPD with a letter thanking members of the Mounted Squad for so often taking the time to let the children pet the horses. She noted the children would often look forward to these visits, as they had few connections outside of the Home. 

The Halifax Infants Home was opened in 1875 for unmarried mothers and abandoned children under the age of three. Originally located on Cunard Street, the Home moved to Spring Garden Road then to a brick and stone building designed by J.C. Dumaresq & Son on Tower Road in 1899.  The Home continued there until it closed in 1960.

Breathalyser Demonstration, 1969

Officers took breathalyser training courses, when that technology became available in the sixties. 

Halifax Police has a long history of using cutting edge technology for crime prevention. The first known case of using the telegram to combat crime was in 1862 when the City Marshall was alerted by telegram that two horse thieves were headed toward the City. Thanks to this timely information the offenders were apprehended. In 1934 Halifax was one of the first Canadian cities to use radio equipped patrol cars.  Other training included bomb disposal, fingerprint analysis.

HRM Archives, HPD photo#102-16N-0053.1

HRM Archives, HPD photo#102-16N-0012.1

Constable Richard Smith calls in to the station.  Call boxes were located throughout the city to keep officers on patrol duty in touch with head-quarters.  Walkie-talkies were not used until 1966.

The role of community and race relations in policing is increasingly recognized; Halifax Regional Police now actively recruits visible minorities.

HRM Archives, HPD photo# 102-16N-012.2

Constable Aileen Richardson (now Mitchell-Halliday) was the first female Halifax police officer to go on street patrol in 1975.

Prior to that, female police officers were only seen in the role of "matron" who searched and guarded female prisoners, and did desk-duty.  By 2007 1 in 5 police officers in Canada is female.

HPD photograph #102-16N-0059.1 National Police Week 1971

National Police Week, 1972
Police Week is held each year around May 15th, International Peace Officer Memorial Day. 
This image is from one of Halifax's first National Police Weeks, in 1971. The event began in 1970 as a collaboration between the RCMP, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada and police departments.

HRM Archives photo 102-16N-0012.4   

Angus MacDonald

at the corner of Buckingham and Barrington in 1923 or 1924

HRM Archives photo 102-16N-0012.5   

Inspector John W. Miller

City Hall - ca. 191?

Wildlife on Quinpool Rd.

The following police report accompanies this photo:

At approximately 5:30pm Constable Frank Carver was proceeding along Quinpool Rd. on his motorcycle when a citizen stopped him, stating there was wildcat in his backyard.

Constable Carver proceeded to the backyard of 6950 Quinpool Rd. and observed the wildcat in the bushes.  He drew his service revolver and fired at the animal, wounding same.  It fled to an adjoining yard where the Constable fired the second shot, killing the wildcat.

Friday, August 11, 1966