HALIFAX -- A Halifax police officer is being charged with assault in connection with the February arrest of a 15-year-old boy in Bedford.
On February 21, two officers responded to the Sunnyside Mall in Bedford, N.S. to assist security during an incident between a male and female youth.
A 15-year-old boy was injured while being arrested.
On Wednesday, Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) released its report into the arrest and charged one of the officers involved in the arrest with assault.
Cst. Mark Pierce will appear in Halifax provincial court on November 17 to face a charge of assault.
In response to the SIRT report, the Halifax Regional Police issued the following statement.
“The completion of SIRT’s investigation is an important step in the process. We are currently reviewing the report in order to determine our next steps. Following charges laid by SIRT against one of the officers involved, this incident will now be subject to the court process, and we must allow that process to take its course,” said the statement issued by Halifax Regional Police.
The union representing police in Halifax also made a statement in response to the SIRT report.
“(The Halifax Regional Police Association) was disheartened to learn that SIRT has charged one of our officers with common assault despite the fact we believe he acted in accordance with his training. Like anyone charged with a criminal offence, the officer is presumed innocent until proven guilty and we trust that his matter will be judged fairly in court,” said Sgt. Dean Stienburg, President of the HRPA.
SIRT is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia.
