The province’s police watchdog has issued a report to Crown counsel after investigating a woman’s claim her arm was injured by a Penticton RCMP officer.
The Independent Investigations Office said in a news release Friday the woman alleged she suffered the injury while in the custody of Mounties here on April 8, 2014.
The matter was turned over to the IIO following an initial investigation by the RCMP.
“In this case, standard investigative activities were conducted including interviews, identification of witnesses and a review of the medical records related to the affected person,” the IIO said.
The release noted, however, that the IIO does not recommend charges; it simply sends a report to Crown counsel, which makes a decision on criminal charges based on the likelihood of conviction and whether prosecution is in the public interest.
Crown counsel spokesman Neil MacKenzie did not respond to a request for comment. Penticton RCMP spokesman Sgt. Rick Dellebuur declined comment since the matter is now in the hands of the Crown.
The civilian-led IIO, which was created in 2012, has twice before looked into matters handled by the Penticton RCMP.
The first was in September 2012 when a suicidal woman was injured in a fall from a balcony in the presence of Mounties. The IIO did an initial investigation, but did not issue a report to Crown counsel since its staff did not link the woman’s injuries to officers’ actions.
The second incident was in May 2013, after a motorcyclist died while fleeing from police on Eastside Road. The IIO later ruled that officers’ actions did not contribute to the crash.
