‘Unfounded’ rate sparks police review

Regional police respond to report revealing 27 per cent of local sex assault reports were not acted on

WATERLOO REGION — Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin says the service will review sexual assault cases it has deemed to be unfounded.

The local police join at least eight other police services in reassessing how they manage sexual assaults after a Globe and Mail investigation showed that police investigators dismiss one out of every five sex assault claims as unfounded.

Locally, the unfounded rate was 27 per cent from 2010 and 2014. Other services of similar size had comparable rates such as Hamilton and London at 30 per cent, York Region at 31 and Peel Region at 25 per cent. Toronto’s unfounded rate is seven per cent.

At a police board meeting on Wednesday, Larkin said he couldn’t answer why more than one-quarter of cases were unfounded.

“We have no answers as to why we are where we are,” he told the board.

Larkin said it will be his priority to find out why the unfounded rate is 27 per cent and how the service can improve how it investigates sexual assaults.

He said he wants to “open the doors” and reach out to local agencies that work with sexual assault victims and arrange for a roundtable discussion to talk about how to do better and ensure victims are heard.

“We have wisdom in our community and they can provide feedback on how we can make change,” he said.

Over the weekend, Larkin said he read

the Globe and Mail piece multiple times and took time to process it.

“At the heart of this story, all of us should pause,” Larkin told the board.

“Victims feel they can’t report sexual assault. How do we ensure victims don’t feel intimidated, re-traumatized, re-victimized,” he said.

Larkin said reassessing sex assault cases is not “pointing fingers,” adding that the service has the “best of the best” investigators speaking to victims.

The chief said he raised the issue of reviewing the numbers at a meeting of the Ontario Chiefs of Police and plans to hold a conference call with 12 other similar services to share how the local service hopes to address the unfounded cases by talking to local sexual assault survivors’ advocates.

On Tuesday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said all police should review how they handle sexual assault complaints.

Police Board chair Tom Galloway said he supports a review and a roundtable discussion on sexual assault and how to better investigate sexual assault complaints.

He also applauded the service for being “fully transparent” and providing the numbers asked of them by the Globe and Mail. Not all police services were accommodating, he said.

Board member Peter Ringrose said the chief ’s plan to open the doors to advocates is a “bold step, not a comfortable one, but a good way of learning.”

Board member Karl Kiefer said he supports the chief ’s plan and said he was particularly surprised by the statistic that four out of five women don’t report a sexual assault.

Larkin credited the newspaper for diving into the subject and uncovering the problematic issue.

“The power of journalism can create dialogue around public policy,” he told the board.

Sara Casselman, executive director of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, said she supports a move by police to review the unfounded cases of sexual assault.

Casselman said she’s also interested in participating in the police roundtable to delve deeper into why sexual assault cases are thrown out, considering how many women come to the centre for help.

“We are overwhelmed with such an incredible demand on our services,” she said. Out of every 1,000 sexual assaults in Canada, about 997 assailants walk free, she said.

Casselman recommends police use the “Philadelphia model,” which suggests police give sexual assault centres access to review the unfounded cases. In U.S. cities where the model is used, unfounded rates have been reduced significantly, she said.

Casselman said she would like to see a greater understanding by police of the effects of trauma on the brain.

“Police are trained to look for gaps and inconsistencies, but don’t dismiss a story because of gaps,” she said.

Casselman said myths about sexual assault exist in society and in police circles, such as women regularly lie about being sexually assaulted.

“There is blame and shame put on survivors and women are responsible for their own sexualization,” she said.