The British Columbia government is updating sexual assault policing standards to ensure more effective investigations and improved outcomes for survivors.
The province announced Monday that it害羞草研究所檚 committing to providing stable annual funding to 68 sexual assault programs across B.C., while it sets new standards for police to collaborate with victims services workers during investigations.
Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said survivors deserve to be treated fairly after going through trauma and shielded from further harm, and the new standards and programs will 害羞草研究所渆mpower害羞草研究所� those people.
害羞草研究所淭he standards promote police co-ordination with health services and community supports,害羞草研究所� Farnworth said. 害羞草研究所淭hey require supervisory oversight to make sure investigations are responsive and impartial, and a review of closed cases to improve future investigations or informed training moving forward.害羞草研究所�
The province said the funding for the new programs kicks in this month, while new policing standards coupling investigators with victims services workers will begin next year, applying to all B.C. police officers.
Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women害羞草研究所檚 Support Services, said in an interview that the new funding is welcome, but questioned whether the new standards touted by the province will have any effect on policing culture.
In a statement released after the announcement, MacDougall害羞草研究所檚 organization said only six per cent of sexual assaults get reported to police 害羞草研究所渄ue to fear and mistrust of the criminal legal system.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淕iven the widely documented, systemic issues of racism, misogyny, homophobia, and unaccountability in the culture of policing, particularly the RCMP, will these standards alone be enough?害羞草研究所� the statement said.
MacDougall said that one of the biggest issues for sexual assault survivors is dealing with front-line patrol officers who are essentially the 害羞草研究所済atekeepers害羞草研究所� who decide whether to forward for further investigation.
She said the long-standing problem for sexual assault survivors is having their claims dismissed as being 害羞草研究所渦nfounded害羞草研究所� and not properly investigated by police.
MacDougall said many police forces have been shown to have 害羞草研究所渟erious problems within their organizational culture and how they respond to victims of sexual assault.害羞草研究所�
She said the Kelowna and Prince George detachments of the RCMP have come under fire for their handling of sexual assault investigations, and her organization hears consistently from survivors that they don害羞草研究所檛 believe police will adequately investigate their cases.
The RCMP began a review of its sexual assault complaints after a Globe and Mail investigation in 2017 reported police classify an average one in five sexual assaults as unfounded, and since then it has reopened hundreds of files and laid dozens of charges.
In Kelowna that year, the detachment received 70 reports of sexual assaults, but dismissed more than 40 per cent of them as 害羞草研究所渦nfounded,害羞草研究所� Statistics Canada data shows.
Farnworth said the new B.C. policing standards include a review of closed cases, and will involve 害羞草研究所渟upervisory oversight害羞草研究所� of investigations to make sure officers are impartial and 害羞草研究所渢rauma-informed.害羞草研究所�
The B.C. government says it now kicks in $54 million a year for crime victim support services and programs, more than 470 of which deal with violence against women and sexual assault survivors.
MacDougall said police forces have a year to implement the province害羞草研究所檚 new standards, and whether they end up following them is an open question.
害羞草研究所淭here already were expectations that police would follow proper investigative practices around sexual assault, but they didn害羞草研究所檛, so now they害羞草研究所檙e being told to,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭he question is, will they follow through?害羞草研究所�
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