SiRT Concludes Investigation into Serious Injury Sustained During an Arrest

The Director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) found no reasonable grounds to believe a Halifax Regional Police (HRP) officer acted with excessive force during an arrest in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

On the night of August 29, 2024, HRP were called to a disturbance between a male and female who were known to each other, at an apartment building in Dartmouth. The male and female were both intoxicated and were outside of the building when the officers arrived on the scene. They were no longer welcome on the property, refused to leave and were subsequently arrested for public intoxication. The female resisted arrest, and a struggle ensued at which time the female was hitting, kicking and spitting at the officers. In the course of arrest, the female was struck in the face by police and she sustained a torn retina in her right eye.

On September 3, 2024, SiRT received a referral from HRP and began their investigation.

The Director’s summary report is available at: Recent Publications | SiRT.

SiRT is responsible for investigating all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and intimate partner violence or other matters of a public interest to be investigated that may have arisen from the actions of any police officer in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. 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.

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