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HRP Officers acted appropriately in arrest of woman
The province's independent Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) today released its report regarding an investigation into the July 10, 2015 arrest of a 25-year-old woman in Fairview. The woman suffered fractures to her wrist, back, and pelvis as a result of a fall from an apartment window.
On that date two Halifax Regional Police officers responded to a call from the resident of an apartment on Evans Avenue. She was in hospital, and wanted police to clear unwanted people from her home. When the officers went to the apartment, they found the 25-year-old woman. She agreed to leave. When police realized she could be arrested for a breach of a court order committed two days earlier and asked her to stay, she ran off. They chased her to an apartment one floor up, where the woman locked the police out. They attempted to enter without success. As one officer ran to the back of the building, he observed the woman injured on the ground. In a statement to SiRT she acknowledged her attempt to escape, and said as the police were attempting to get to her in the apartment she either jumped or fell from the window as a result of her own actions. The police acted quickly to ensure the woman received medical assistance.
In these circumstances there were no grounds to consider charges against either officer, who acted appropriately in their efforts to arrest the woman.
A complete copy of the report is available at http://sirt.novascotia.ca.
SIRT is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia. Investigations are under the direction and control of independent civilian director Ron MacDonald, who is solely responsible for decisions respecting the laying of any charge.
Media Contact:
Ron MacDonald, QC
Director
902-424-8400 (o)
902-718-9707 (m)
