All sex-assault cases to be reviewed

Special officer will automatically examine RCMP investigations

Sexual-assault investigations by Alberta RCMP are now being automatically reviewed in an effort to improve how law enforcement handles the cases in the province.

An officer with specific training in sexual-assault investigations who has the authority to reopen a file is reviewing all cases upon completion, regardless of whether they resulted in charges, said RCMP K Division spokesman Fraser Logan.

The initiative began on Jan 1., alongside an ongoing review of historical sexual-assault claims from 2018 and 2019 that did not result in charges.

“These are police (investigators) who are trained in trauma-informed and victim-centred investigative practices whose reviews are meant to ensure that these investigations were complete and thorough,” said Logan in an emailed statement.

The move marks law enforcement’s escalating effort to improve investigations into reports of sexual assault in the wake of a 2017 Globe and Mail series that found one in five sexual-assault claims between 2010 and 2014 were found by law enforcement across Canada to be baseless.

Nationally, RCMP had an unfounded rate of 17 per cent in the same time frame.

In 2017, 14 per cent of cases in Alberta were deemed unfounded by police, Statistics Canada reports. A mandate from the federal public safety minister spurred the creation of the RCMP’S National Sexual Assault Review (SAR) team to review approximately 33,000 cases between 2015 and 2017 that did not result in a charge.

Advocates say the move to have the K Division SAR co-ordinator review all cases in real time could improve investigation quality from the outset and encourage more complainants to come forward to law enforcement.

“The hope is that knowing that this is happening, (police are) going to be more careful when they’re taking the report,” said Katie Kitschke, executive director of the Saffron Centre in Sherwood Park, where sexual-assault support services are offered.

“(Police) will be flagging the (cases) that aren’t coded properly or where there was evidence they could have used.”

Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) CEO Debra Tomlinson said the initiative could help curb the attrition of reports of sexual assault as they move through the system.

Statistics Canada estimates about five per cent of sexual assaults are reported to police, and of those substantiated, only one in 10 results in a conviction.

“Having a second pair of eyes, one that is specialized in responding to sexual assault, understands the effects of sexual-assault trauma, understands the myths and stereotypes … is a step in the right direction,” said Tomlinson, noting that sexual-assault centres across the province were consulted.

Both Kitschke and Tomlinson agreed that seeing more people coming forward is positive, but not without action to improve conviction rates and prevent sexual assault in the first place.

A study released last month found that nearly half of Albertans experience sexual abuse or assault in their lifetimes.

“I really hesitate to say that an increase in reporting would definitely be a mark of success,” said Tomlinson. “But I think it’s only one piece of the puzzle. I think we need to see more cases advancing after reporting, because that’s only one step.”

Kitschke and Tomlinson hope Alberta’s review initiative could also pave the way for similar moves in other provinces.

“If we get this going (across Canada), we’ll be the first country in the world where every province is reviewing unfounded cases,” said Kitschke. “The world’s going to be watching us.”

RCMP Acting Sgt. Caroline Duval said the initiative is not part of a national directive but it supports any additional review process at the divisional level. She said that six divisions, not including Alberta, have established independent Sexual Assault Investigations Review Committees.