A formal complaint has been launched against Halifax Police after they clashed with protestors over the takedown of homeless shelters this summer.
Police Chief Dan Kinsella says the call for a review of the police response was filed by a member of the public.
He attended a virtual meeting on Monday with the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners, which is considering launching its own investigation.
Kinsella says the force will conduct the internal review examining their response to protestors outside the old library on Spring Garden Road in August.
“There are specifics in there, but it’s the police in general,” Kinsella says. “It does cover use of force, it covers identification, and those types of issues.”
The violent clash between protestors and police erupted in the streets on August 18th after city staff and officers began dismantling tents and temporary crisis shelters on municipal property.
Police eventually resorted to using riot gear and pepper spray to keep protestors back. Twenty-four people were arrested.
A video showing the police using pepper spray during yesterday’s protest in downtown Halifax. Credit: Nova Scotia Advocate. pic.twitter.com/rjFNMcaUVX
— Steve MacArthur (@Steve_Mac_NS) August 19, 2021
There were reports from the community officers had removed their name tags during the event.
Kinsella promised an internal review would take place and they would consider feedback from the community during a press conference the next day.
Now the municipality’s civilian police oversight board is considering launching a third investigation.
Commissioner Harry Critchley called for the independent civilian review at Monday’s meeting.
The motion follows a petition from the East Coast Prison Justice Society. The group is calling for a full and independent investigation into police actions. It has nearly 4,500 signatures.
Critchley says the commission has the authority under the Police Act.
“This is not a new thing,” Critchley says. “Across Canada municipal police boards are a fairly standard feature of police governance. And the distinction between policy and operations and the powers of the board are fairly standard across the board.”
Halifax municipal lawyer Martin Ward disagreed, saying the board doesn’t have the jurisdiction and the motion overlaps with current investigations.
He adds the board may want to implement certain policies within its jurisdiction based on the results of those reviews.
The police commission has decided to wait for an independent legal opinion and staff report on its authority to explore the issue.
Meantime, there is no timeline for the completion of the review into the citizen’s complaint as the individual can move the issue forward with the Police Complaints Commissioner if they’re unhappy with the initial outcome.
