No Charges Against Bridgewater Police Officers

The province's independent Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) has released its report regarding injuries suffered by a male on June 23, 2019 at the station of the Bridgewater Police Service. 

On the morning of June 23, Bridgewater Police arrested an adult male for impaired driving and transported him to the station of the Bridgewater Police Service where he was placed in an interview room.  While in the interview room awaiting processing, the male became aggressive and an altercation occurred between the man and two officers.  Later, the man complained of receiving fractures to his ribs and collarbone as a result of the altercation.

The investigation concluded the force used by the officers to control the man was reasonable and justified as necessary to protect the officers. No excessive force was used. Therefore, no charges are warranted against the officers.

The full report is available at http://sirt.novascotia.ca.

The Serious Incident Response Team is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia, whether or not there is an allegation of wrongdoing. 

The team can independently begin an investigation after a referral from a chief of police, the head of the RCMP in Nova Scotia or the Minister of Justice. It can also investigate after a complaint from the public.

The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner deals with conduct complaints about municipal police officers in Nova Scotia. More information is found at https://www.novascotia.ca/opcc

Media Contact:

Eric Taylor

Acting Director

902-478-4706