Halifax’s loaner armoured rescue vehicle used 35 times, mostly for high-risk search warrants

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeAtlantic CanadaNewsNova ScotiaHalifax Halifax’s loaner armoured rescue vehicle used 35 times, mostly for high-risk search warrants Halifax police board also approves policy guiding body-worn cameras to roll out in early 2027 Author of the article: By Jen Taplin Published Sep 03, 2026 Last updated 1 hour ago 3 minute read A member of the Halifax Regional Police emergency response team stands in front of the Armoured Rescue Vehicle near a residence in the Lahey Road area of Dartmouth on July 8. The vehicle, currently on loan, has been used over 35 times. PHOTO BY TIM KROCHAK /The Chronicle Herald Article content Halifax police have some shiny new tools ready to put to use. Article content Body-worn cameras will be operating by the new year and Halifax Regional Police’s loaner armoured rescue vehicle (ARV) was put to use 35 times in the past year — mostly for high-risk search warrants, barricades, hostage taking and the odd public event. Article content Article content Several residents spoke out against it before council included it in the budget. Article content Article content Last summer, the city hired Cambli Group Inc. to build an ARV for over $630,000 and, in the meantime, was loaned a temporary vehicle. HRP is tasked to provide reports on its ARV use to the Board of Police Commissioners twice a year, and the first report was just released. Article content Members of the Halifax Regional Police emergency response team descended on a residence on Lahey Road in Dartmouth on July 8, accompanied by the armoured rescue vehicle. PHOTO BY TIM KROCHAK /The Chronicle Herald Article content “The vast majority of ARV deployments are linked to the execution of high-risk search warrants,” wrote Natasha Pace, HRP co-ordinator, in the report. Article content The armour-plated vehicle is designed to “transport first responders over varying terrain, safely remove members of the public from dangerous situations and respond to high-risk incidents which have an elevated threat of violence, weapons, or public danger.” Article content It’s used by the emergency response team, a highly trained, specialized police unit. Article content The first time it saw action in Halifax was June 26, 2025, during a high-risk search warrant on the Halifax peninsula. Four people were arrested. The last time it was used before the report was written was in…