News Release
SIU Concludes London Investigation
Case Number: 23-OCI-390
In the early morning hours of September 11, 2023, London Police Service officers attended the residence of a 37-year-old man to caution him about misusing the 911 emergency call system. An officer spoke to the man beside the building’s front door and warned him he would be arrested for ‘mischief’ if he persisted with the 911 calls. Another officer approached the man and the two shook hands. In the course of the handshake, the officer again cautioned the man and asked whether he understood. The man replied he did and the handshake ended. The police took their leave and the man returned to his apartment. Feeling pain in his right hand, the man went to hospital. He was diagnosed with a fractured knuckle of the right small finger. On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s injury.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):
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.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES