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About SiRT
Mission and Mandate
The mission of the Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team is:
“To ensure citizens of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have the utmost trust and confidence
in the investigation of serious incidents involving police.”
The SiRT’s mandate is to investigate all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and intimate partner violence or other matters of public interest that may have arisen from the actions of any municipal police officer or RCMP officer in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick.
A serious injury includes:
• fractures to limbs, ribs, head or spine;
• burns, cuts, or lacerations which are serious or affect a major portion of the body;
• loss of any portion of the body;
• serious internal injuries;
• any injury caused by gunshot;
• significant number of stitches
• admission to hospital as a result of the injury (not including outpatient care followed by release).
• fractures to limbs, ribs, head or spine;
• burns, cuts, or lacerations which are serious or affect a major portion of the body;
• loss of any portion of the body;
• serious internal injuries;
• any injury caused by gunshot;
• significant number of stitches
• admission to hospital as a result of the injury (not including outpatient care followed by release).
At the conclusion of every investigation, the SiRT will determine whether or not criminal charges should result from the actions of the police officer. The Director will issue a public summary of the investigation which will outline the reasons for that decision. When a charge is laid, it is referred to the applicable prosecution service.
Independence
SiRT is independent of government and police. The Director of SiRT is a civilian, and is responsible for the general direction of all investigations. This ensures a more transparent and independent way to investigate serious incidents involving police.
How the SiRT receives cases
The Chiefs of all police, and the head of the RCMP, in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, are required by law to refer all serious incidents to the SiRT. The Ministers of Justice can also make referrals, as can members of the public by contacting the SiRT directly toll free at 1-855-450-2010 or 424-2010. The SiRT can also launch or take over an investigation on its own. In every case, it is up to the SiRT Director to determine whether the matter meets the SiRT mandate. Matters can meet the mandate even though there is no allegation of wrongdoing on behalf of the police.
The Team
The Serious Incident Response Team includes:
- Director (Civilian). The current Director of the SiRT is Erin Nauss, located in the Nova Scotia office. The Director may not be a current or former police officer.
- Assistant Director (Civilian). The current Assistant Director of the SiRT, Rebecca Butler, is located in the New Brunswick office.
- Four investigators, each with over 25 years of criminal investigation experience.
- Three full-time seconded police officers who answer only to the Director while seconded, one from the Halifax Regional Police and two from the RCMP.
- Manager of Business Administration.
- Administrative support.
The team operates independently of law enforcement agencies, with decision-making authority residing with the civilian Director.
The combination of civilian and seconded police officers is required to achieve a balance between independence and operational effectiveness.
Under the sections of the Police Act which created SiRT, a current or former police officer cannot be the Director.
The budget of the Team is about $600,000 annually. The province covers all administrative and overhead costs associated with the Director, civilian investigators, and administrative support. Seconded police resources are provided by the relevant police agency.
