Halifax mayor calls for continued street checks despite recent statistics

CTV Atlantic: Halifax Mayor calls for continued street checks Halifax's mayor thinks police should continue street checks despite recent statistics revealing black people are disproportionately affected

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage says he thinks police should continue to use street checks despite recent figures revealing black people are disproportionately affected.

Savage weighed in on Thursday after several prominent African Nova Scotians called for an immediate end to the practice.

Savage says more information is required, but getting rid of street checks is not the answer.

“I think that the street checks are a tool that the police use, so if there's something wrong with the tool, fix the tool – you don't throw it out of the toolbox,” he said. “I think we take this very seriously. I mean, this should be a red flag for people to have a look at it.”

Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team is planning to meet with the Police Complaints Commission and the Human Rights Commission on the matter in the near future.