SIRT investigation determines therapist misinterpreted information provided by client

The SiRT logo is seen in an undated file photo.

HALIFAX -

After looking into a complaint that a police officer had pointed their service weapon at someone, Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) has determined it was just a misunderstanding.

"The investigation determined that the Affected Party (AP), who had only seen a therapist once on a one-on-one session for personal reasons, had been misunderstood when describing an incident during a counselling session," SIRT said in a news release. "During this particular session, the AP had described an incident where the Subject Officer (SO) had pointed their service weapon at themselves many years before in another province. The therapist, who had not been practising long and did not write much in their notes, misinterpreted the information, and concluded that the SO had pointed their service weapon at the AP."

The therapist reported the incident to their supervisor, who in turn contacted the RCMP. SIRT was contacted in early August to investigate, but says no charges are warranted.

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