IIO is Investigating an Incident of Serious Harm While In Custody in Nanaimo (2023-353)
Case: 2023-353 Incident Date: December 10, 2023 Detachment: Nanaimo Location: Nanaimo Agency: RCMP Incident Classification: Serious Harm Case Status: Closed - Without Public ReportINFORMATION BULLETIN
Independent Investigations Office
For Immediate Release
Surrey, B.C. — The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the serious harm of one man while in police custody in Nanaimo.
Information provided by the Nanaimo RCMP states that around 11:45 a.m. on December 10, 2023, a man in custody collapsed unexpectedly inside a police cell.
Emergency Health Services responded and transported the affected person to the hospital with what was later determined to be a serious injury.
The IIO was notified the same day and is looking into the sequence of events leading up to the time the affected person suffered the injury.
Initial investigative steps will seek to confirm the extent of the man’s injury and what if any role police may have played during the incident.
The IIO is asking any person with relevant information about the incident to please contact the IIO via the Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or using the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
Background
The IIO is the Independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.