The police watchdog that oversees investigations into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia officers has had a “busy year,” according to its director Erin Nauss. The Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) released its annual report for the fiscal year of 2025-2026 on Thursday. SiRT investigates serious matters involving police officers, including death, serious injury, sexual assault and intimate partner violence. The report shows the watchdog received 115 notifications for the year and conducted 48 full investigations: 26 in Nova Scotia, 21 in New Brunswick and one in Prince Edward Island. From those investigations, 11 officers were charged with one or more offences. Six officers were charged in Nova Scotia and five in New Brunswick. The charges range from sexual assault, serious injury and public interest – which includes assault, possession of property obtained by crime, voyeurism and child pornography-related offences. The Nova Scotia RCMP represented the most officers charged, with three reported for the time period. New Brunswick RCMP and Saint John police followed with two each. Nauss says she’s confident in the year ahead and the progress SiRT is making to build public confidence in police oversight. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
