Image: New Brunswick RCMP/submitted
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are one step closer to having a shared police oversight body.
The two provinces have already reached an agreement in principle to share the services of Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT).
Proposed changes to the Police Act introduced in the legislature on Thursday would allow New Brunswick to negotiate a formal agreement.
“We are committed to ensuring we have access to the expertise that we need to serve our communities and provide independent oversight in the interest of public safety,” Justice and Public Safety Minister Ted Flemming said in a news release.
“Having an agreement in place will ensure increased availability of services for future investigations in New Brunswick.”
SiRT is an independent body that investigates serious matters such as death, serious injury, sexual assault or other public interest concerns involving the police. New Brunswick does not currently have its own police oversight body.
Last year, New Brunswick asked Quebec’s oversight body, the BEI, to investigate the deaths of Chantel Moore and Rodney Levi when SiRT was focused on Nova Scotia’s mass shooting.
The partnership is expected to start in 2022, once an agreement is in place.
Officials said additional resources will be required to support the expansion although the cost was not released.
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