HALIFAX—At his official swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Halifax’s new police chief pledged his commitment to respectful and inclusive relationships and developing “a platform of trust.”

Dan Kinsella was greeted by a pipes and drums band and an honour guard, and was passed a walking stick that belonged to the city’s first police chief in 1864.

Kinsella worked with the Hamilton Police Service for 32 years and became its deputy chief of operations in 2016. He replaces Jean-Michel Blais, who retired in April.

“We are indeed fortunate that our new chief comes to this role with a deep wealth of professional policing experience, over 32 years, and a solid knowledge of diverse community and the issues that we face,” Mayor Mike Savage said during his remarks to a room filled with dignitaries, community members and Kinsella’s family and friends.

Police street checks are one of those issues. Earlier this year, a public report by criminologist Scot Wortley showed Halifax Regional Police officers stop Black people in street checks six times more often than white people.

In May, Halifax Regional Police and Halifax District RCMP said they wouldn’t apologize to the Black community over street checks, saying it would “appear disingenuous.”

Speaking with reporters after the ceremony, Kinsella didn’t shy away from the subject nor did he rule out the possibility of an apology.

“I’m going to determine that when I speak to the community,” he said when asked if an apology would be useful.

“It could be, but we need to have that conversation to see and make sure. It has to be done properly.”

Kinsella also outlined his personal view on street checks, saying street checks and any intelligence gathering that help solve crimes have “value.”

“But what I can tell you is that the random stopping of any individual based on their race, the colour of their skin, their ethnicity, their religion, their sexual orientation, their gender expression, is inappropriate and will not be tolerated in the Halifax Regional Municipality,” he added.

When asked how he planned to address the lack of trust the Black community has in the police service, Kinsella reiterated his commitment to hearing from them firsthand about their experiences.

“I know that there has been some inequalities and some negative interaction, so I’m going to work on that with the community,” he said. “And once I get that information and I’m fully informed, we’re going to set a plan together and we’re going to work on it together to see the best way forward.”

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Yvette d’Entremont is a Halifax-based reporter focusing on health. Follow her on Twitter: @ydentremont

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