News Release
Woman Suffered Injury Before the Arrival of Police at Cobourg Retirement Home; SIU Investigation Terminated
Case Number: 21-OCI-367
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury suffered by an elderly woman in Cobourg last month.
On October 29, 2021, Cobourg Police Service officers were dispatched to a retirement home on Chapel Crescent following reports of a woman hanging off a balcony. Upon arrival, officers located the woman – she was on the outside of a fourth-floor balcony railing. The woman informed the officers that she had injured her arm, and the officers secured her with straps until the Cobourg Fire Service arrived. Using an aerial ladder, the woman was brought safely to ground level. She was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a fractured right forearm.
Director Martino concluded that the injury was incurred before the police arrived, and as such, the police did not cause or contribute to the woman’s injury. The file has been closed.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations
Lisez ce communiqué en français.
Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES