MILITARY SETS UP TEAM TO INVESTIGATE SEX CRIMES

The Canadian military i s creating a special team of investigators to handle sexual crimes. The move comes in response to concerns, highlighted in a scathing report last year, that military police don’t have the skills and experience necessary to deal with such offences. The new 18- member team is being deployed to six locations across Canada, and will be called upon to respond whenever and wherever an alleged sexual offence takes place. Military officials say team members have been given specialized training to better investigate crimes and support victims. Military police investigated 280 alleged sexual crimes in 2015 and during the first six months of 2016, and laid 49 charges. It’s unknown how many resulted in convictions.