SiRT Concludes Investigation into Serious Injury During Bridgewater Police Service Arrest

The Interim Director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) found no reasonable grounds to believe that any member of the Bridgewater Police Service (BPS) committed a criminal offence in connection with an incident that resulted in a woman sustaining serious injuries.

On June 25, 2023, the BPS contacted the SiRT regarding an incident where a woman sustained serious injuries during arrest for obstructing fire personnel. BPS was called on two occasions regarding a person who had large open fires on their property, contrary to the Town of Bridgewater Municipal By-Laws. The woman was yelling and would not permit the Bridgewater Fire Department to extinguish the fires. During arrest, she fell to the ground, which resulted in a fractured hip. As she did not provide a statement or consent to the release of her medical records, and no subject officer was identified, the investigation was concluded.

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

SiRT is responsible for investigating all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and domestic violence or other matters of significant public interest that may have arisen from the actions of any police officer in Nova Scotia. Investigations are under the direction and control of an independent civilian director, who has the sole authority to determine if charges should be laid at the conclusion of an investigation.