The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO), who hold officers accountable when a civilian is injured or dies during a police incident, are investigating a situation in Duncan which saw one woman injured.
According to North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP, at around 2:05 p.m. on Friday, November 29th, police received reports of a woman waving a knife at vehicles near the intersection of Underwood and Craig Streets.
Police say they located the woman near the river, just off Allenby Road.
During the police interaction which ensued, the woman reportedly sustained a serious injury. She was then taken to hospital for treatment.
The incident was reported to the IIO, who have now launched an investigation into the matter.
The IIO says their initial investigative steps will be to examine the extent of the woman’s injuries, to determine if they meet the threshold of what constitutes a ‘serious injury’ under the Police Act.
If her injuries do meet the threshold, IIO investigators will then find out if the police officers’ force in the situation was necessary, reasonable and proportionate under the circumstances.
To aid them in their investigation, the IIO are asking anyone with relevant information of the incident to contact them at 1-855-446-8477, or via the contact form on the IIO website.
If their investigation determines that police force was not necessary, and the woman was injured due to officers’ action or inaction, charges may be recommended against them.
Conversely, if the IIO determines that their use of force was reasonable under the circumstances, the officers will be cleared of any wrongdoing regarding this incident.
