Harrys Hidden Halifax -
Police Mini Squad

"Well now, my curious friends! Harry Facks here, and today I'm going to tell you a tale that'll have you looking twice at those old police photographs from 1968. While the nation was glued to their tellies watching 'Z Cars', our Halifax bobbies were writing their own exciting chapter in police history!

Picture this, if you will: June 1968, and there's quite a buzz about town. Why, you ask? Well, Halifax Police had just unveiled their fleet of spanking new Mini vans!  Not your ordinary police vehicles, mind you - these little beauties were part of something rather special we called the 'unit policing system'.

Our fine town was carved up into 18 beats. Each beat had its very own area constable who actually lived right there among the folk they protected - proper community policing, that was! These 18 beats were paired up into nine sections, and each section got its very own Mini van and detective. Quite the modern approach for '68, wouldn't you say?

And let me tell you why this wasn't just about fancy new motors. You see, crime had been creeping up in our beloved Halifax. My records show that 1967 saw 2,732 reported incidents - that's 226 more than the year before. Not the sort of numbers we liked to see in our town!

The top brass hoped these changes would give our boys in blue a proper boost - better teamwork, higher spirits, that sort of thing. Those Mini vans weren't just vehicles; they were symbols of a new era in Halifax policing!