SIU clears NRP officer

A Niagara Regional Police officer will not face criminal charges after the 2016 arrest of an intoxicated man in St. Catharines.

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has determined there are no reasonable grounds to charge the arresting officer, after the 53-yearold man was diagnosed with rib injuries a day after his arrest.

In his report, released Wednesday, SIU director Tony Loparco said the arrest of the complainant — charged with causing a disturbance after police were called to the St. Catharines home of his former wife at about 6:15 a.m, Sept. 10, 2016 — was legally justified.

The behaviour of the arresting officer was also “more than justified in the circumstances and that they used no more force than necessary to subdue the complainant, who was clearly out of control, combative, assaultive and extremely intoxicated,” Loparco said.

“The complainant’s detention and the manner in which it was carried out were lawful.”

Loparco questioned the complainant’s credibility after he found discrepancies in the evidence that was presented, and ruled that the injuries diagnosed on Sept. 11 were not related to the actions of police officers during the arrest.

“I am therefore satisfied on reasonable grounds on this record that the actions exercised by the officers fell within the limits prescribed by the criminal law and there are no grounds for proceeding with charges in this case,” he said.

The SIU’s full report on the incident is available on the organization’s website, www.ontario.ca/page/siu-directors-report-case16-oci-241.