Halifax Regional Police adding second recruitment class this year for the first time

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeAtlantic CanadaNewsNova ScotiaHalifax Halifax Regional Police adding second recruitment class this year for the first time There were 703 applications for the 40 seats in the class this fall Author of the article: By Ian Fairclough Published Sep 15, 2026 1 minute read Halifax Regional Police officers stand on Cogswell Street after a large area of downtown Halifax was evacuated August 14. HRP is running a second recruitment class this year for the first time. PHOTO BY TIM KROCHAK Article content Halifax Regional Police have added a second recruit class to their police science program for 2027.  Article content The first class of 40 is starting this fall and will graduate in the summer of 2027. That class is full.   Article content Article content The second class will start in the spring of 2027 and graduate in the winter. Applications are open until Oct. 1.  Article content The 38-week program provides all the training required for graduates to become officers with the force and takes place at the department’s training school in Dartmouth.  Article content Article content Const. Martin Cromwell said the number of students and frequency of classes has been increasing.  Article content “Halifax Regional Police has had the police program for several years but began offering it annually in 2024-25,” he said. Article content “That class graduated 22 new officers. Last year we expanded the size and were pleased to graduate 37 new officers in July.”  Article content Cromwell said in an email that there has been a lot of interest in the program, and for the class this fall there were 703 applications for the 40 seats.  Article content The force didn’t add any new patrol officer positions to its roster in the current year; in 2024-25 it added 12 because of the growing population. But it needs to have people available to fill spots created by retirements, resignations and promotions.   Article content “Graduating more officers allows us to help fill those vacancies and maintain our staffing levels,” Cromwell said.   Article content “This year, we saw the opportunity to expand the program further by adding a second class that would begin once the first class moves into their on-the-job training.”  Article content This will be the first time two classes are offered within one year.  Article content The department says it’s…