Halifax police officer faces assault charges after SIRT investigation

A Halifax Regional Police officer has been charged with four offences in relation to the arrest of a person last year.

Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team, which investigates serious incidents involving police in the province, announced the charges Monday.

Const. Jacob Farr, 31, was charged with two counts of assault over the arrest of a male on Oct. 12, 2020. He was also charged with obstruction of a police officer and breach of trust for "failing to report his actions in police reports as required," SIRT director Felix Cacchione said in a news release.

Farr was sworn in as an officer in 2017. He's due in court onAug. 5.

Cacchione said SIRT started investigating in February after being contacted by Halifax police.Cacchione did not give any details about the arrest, or what led Halifax police to contact them several months after the incident.

A spokesperson for Halifax Regional Police said Farr is suspended with pay, as per the Nova Scotia Police Act.