A woman was injured while being detained under the Mental Health Act. Independent investigators were notified last month after a complaint was filed
B.C. independent investigators into police incidents that lead to serious injury or death are looking into the arrest of a woman in Quesnel over a year ago.
On Jan. 2, 2024, police were called to Avison Avenue about a person experiencing a mental health emergency.
Officers took the woman in under the Mental Health Act, then she was taken to a hospital for assessment, “where it was determined they suffered an injury during the interaction with police,” said the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO) in a statement on Monday.
However, the IIO was only notified last month after the woman filed a complaint with the B.C. RCMP.
“After reviewing medical records, it has been determined the injury meets the threshold of serious harm” as defined under the Police Act, the IIO said.
IIO investigators will now “seek to confirm the details leading up to and including the interaction with police, as well as whether any force used was necessary, proportionate, and justified under the circumstances,” it said.