The Bathurst Police Force has responded to a video of an arrest at the city’s Service New Brunswick location on Monday.
The video alleged that a woman was arrested after voicing her frustration for having to stand in a lengthy line that lasted hours.
The province’s Service New Brunswick locations recently reopened after being closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Global News has reviewed a version of the video. It begins mid-arrest and shows two police officers putting handcuffs on a woman with a cane.
It does not show what caused the police to be called but the woman shouts as she is led away by police that she spoke up to get the line at the location moving.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by deputy police chief Stephane Roy, he said that police were called to a complaint of an “unwanted person” at the Service New Brunswick office.
“We received information whereas a woman was being disruptive while waiting in line at the location,” said Roy.
When asked to leave by staff the woman reportedly refused to do so. Police attempted to convince her to leave on her own but she refused, providing officers a false name when asked to identify herself.
Roy said officers unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate with the woman for several minutes before she was told that she could leave and return the following day or be arrested for causing a disturbance.
She refused to budge and was then arrested.
Roy said the woman has since been released and is scheduled to appear in court on a later date for a charge of causing a disturbance.
He said that the limited video circulating online has resulted in “heinous comments” with some commenters calling the police “clowns” and others having gone as far as to write that “officers should be shot.”
He called the latter comment “unacceptable.”
“We live in a world where social media is taking over traditional media,” Roy wrote.
“Unfortunately, social media is not subjected to the same standards of accuracy and credibility that traditional media is held to, which leaves room for uninformed conversations.”
He asked that residents be curious and not judgemental of the things they see, especially if there is limited information available.