Investigation
Allegation of Evidence Deletion by HRP Officer
Date Published: 2016-07-05
Province: Nova Scotia
Police Agency: Halifax Regional Police
Summary
On November 27, 2015, SiRT received a referral from the lawyer of a young person (AP1) who had been arrested and charged by members of the Halifax Regional Police (HRP) on June 30, 2015. The referral stated that AP1’s arrest was video recorded by another person, AP2, on his phone, but the video was deleted by an HRP officer. The referral sugge sted the actions of the officer might constitute an attempt to obstruct justice. After some preliminary investigation, it was determined the complaint raised significant public interest issues, and as a result SiRT commenced an investigation on January 18, 2016. It was completed on April 11, 2016. The referral also alleged that excessive force was used during AP1’s arrest. However, when interviewed by SiRT AP1stated his complaint related to the deletion of the video only. Given that he suffered no serious injuries during the arrest, that aspect of the matter did not meet SiRT’s mandate in any event. During the investigation SiRT interviewe…