The Serious Incident Response Team Act was passed by the House of Assembly on December 7, 2017 to provide for the establishment of a team to provide independent oversight of policing.

The Serious Incident Response Team of Newfoundland and Labrador (SIRT-NL) is a civilian-led police oversight agency responsible for conducting independent investigations into serious incidents involving death, serious injury, sexual offence, domestic violence or any matter of significant public interest that may have arisen from the actions of a police officer in the province.

The director has authority under the Serious Incident Response Team Act to lay charges against police officers, in consultation with the Director of Public Prosecutions, when the evidence gathered during an investigation forms grounds to believe an offence has been committed. All investigative decision making and the decision to issue a public report, lay a charge or refer a matter to Crown counsel are independent from government.

SIRT-NL can be reached at: SIRTInfo@sirtnl.ca or visit www.sirtnl.ca