Nova Scotia says new directive reinforces existing ban on police street checks

Nova Scotia’s Justice Department says it is strengthening its existing ban on police street checks.

Justice Minister Brad Johns is issuing a new directive to address concerns that the rules around street checks had allowed police to continue illegally collecting and recording people’s personal information.

The directive removes the term “suspicious activity” and replaces it with “reasonable suspicion” regarding cases in which police believe a crime is about to occur or has occurred and in which police can detain someone and collect their personal information without their consent.

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The department said today in a news release that the term “reasonable suspicion” is the legal standard used by police to detain individuals suspected of unlawful activity.

Johns says the change reflects the feedback received by his department.

Since 2019, police in Nova Scotia have not been allowed to conduct street checks, which are random police stops for the purpose of collecting people’s personal information without a suspicion they had committed a crime.

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