Police watchdog investigating RCMP arrest of ‘intoxicated’ woman in West Kelowna
Published 5:46 pm Tuesday, September 22, 2026
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The Independent Investigation Office of BC (IIO) is looking for witnesses of a police incident that occurred in Westbank in early September.
According to the IIO, its investigation surrounds the RCMP’s arrest of a seemingly intoxicated woman on Sept. 8 at the 3700-block of Boucherie Road at around 6:30 p.m.
The IIO’s press release on the matter stated the woman was allegedly “causing a disturbance” at a nearby business, after which the RCMP spoke to her and arrested her for mischief.
The arrest led to an “interaction between police and the woman” which resulted in her being taken into custody at a police detachment.
During the “interaction” between herself and the police, the IIO said the woman suffered injuries which were later assessed and treated after she took herself to the hospital upon being released from police custody.
The woman reported the incident to the IIO, who are now investigating the matter.
As the investigation is in its early stages, the IIO said it is considering two factors:
- If there has been an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act, or a death; and
- If there is a connection between the serious harm/death and officer action or inaction.
“If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred. At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred,” the IIO said.
Witnesses of the incident are asked to contact the IIO Witness line. at 1-855-446-8377 or the contact form at iiobc.ca.