News Release
SIU Closes Investigation into Broken Hand Suffered by Man in Hamilton; Injury Happened Weeks Prior to Arrest
Case Number: 22-OCI-075
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the broken hand suffered by a 37-year-old man who had been arrested by Hamilton Police Service (HPS) officers last month.
On March 11, 2022, HPS officers went to a home on Barton Street East for an ‘unwanted guest’ call. Officers arrested a man and when he complained of a sore hand, he was taken to hospital. He was diagnosed with a broken right hand.
Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, the man’s injury happened a couple of weeks before he was arrested. As the police had nothing to do with it, Director Martino concluded that the SIU was without statutory jurisdiction to proceed with the investigation. Accordingly, 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
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SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES