No charges justified in injury to male by RCMP officer

The province’s Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) has released its report regarding the August 20, 2018 arrest of a 24-year-old male by a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Colchester District. 

In the early morning hours of August 19, an officer observed a vehicle stopped in an area where suspicious activity had recently been occurring. The officer approached the vehicle and noticed an odour of alcohol coming from the driver.  Suspecting the driver was impaired, the officer asked him to provide a breath sample. After several unsuccessful attempts, the male was told he would be arrested for refusal.

When the officer attempted to arrest the 24-year-old male, he resisted and tried to return to his vehicle. It was during the course of his arrest that the suspect suffered an injury to his hand. He was taken to hospital for an assessment and treated for his injury.

The evidence showed the police had the right to arrest the man. The force used by the officer to control the man was reasonable and justified as necessary to protect the officer. No excessive force was used and the male’s hand was fractured unintentionally and as a result of the struggle with police. Therefore, no charges are warranted against the officer.

The full 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 Felix Cacchione, who is solely responsible for decisions respecting the laying of any charge.

Media Contact:
Felix Cacchione
Director
Serious Incident Response Team
902-424-8400 (o)
902-718-9707 (c)
felix.cacchione@novascotia.ca