La GRC de la Nouvelle-Écosse partage le communiqué de presse suivant de l'Équipe d'intervention en cas d'incident grave de la Nouvelle-Écosse (SiRT) concernant son enquête indépendante sur une allégation de recours excessif à la force contre un membre de la GRC affecté au détachement de West Hants.
Le 26 septembre 2024, l'EIIG a porté une accusation de voies de fait contre le membre en vertu de l'article 266 du Code criminel.
Cette accusation est troublante, et nous prenons ce type d'incident très au sérieux. Le membre en question, le caporal Dale Keeping, a été affecté à des tâches administratives. Son statut pourrait changer dépendant des conclusions de l'enquête déontologique interne et du processus judiciaire.
Voici le communiqué de presse publié par l'EIIG (en anglais seulement) :
The SiRT Charges RCMP Officer with Assault
The Director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) has reasonable and probably grounds to believe that an RCMP officer committed a criminal offence in relation to the assaut of a youth on March 8, 2024.
The SiRT received the referral on May 3, 2024, from the West Hants RCMP and the Department of Community Services and began its investigation into the matter that day. As a result of the SiRT investigation, on September 26, 2024, Corporal Dale Keeping was charged with assault contrary to s. 266 of the Criminal Code.
Corporal Dale Keeping will appear before the Nova Scotia Provincial Court at 240 King Street, Windsor, Nova Scotia on October 29, 2024, at 10:00 a.m.
As the matter is before the courts, and in consideration of the fair trial interests of the accused, the SiRT will not provide further comment on the investigation.
The SiRT is responsible for investigating all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and intimate partner violence or other matters of public interest 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.