Independent review of sex assault cases in Saskatoon to continue after inaugural year deemed a success
CBC
The results are in from an independent team that was tasked with reviewing sexual assault cases closed by Saskatoon police officers without charges being laid.
Feedback from the reviewers prompted changes meant to improve the reporting process for survivors.
Police services across the country came under national scrutiny after an investigation by the Globe and Mail revealed that 19 per cent of sexual assault complaints in Canada were deemed unfounded by police between 2010 and 2014.The "unfounded" label on cases meant that police investigated and officers determined that an offence did not occur.
Saskatoon police collaborated with staff from the Saskatoon Sexual Assault & Information Centre (SSAIC) to conduct the review in 2022. The reviewers assessed 172 police files for strengths, weaknesses and potential concerns. They determined that 42 of the closed files (24 per cent) required a closer look from police management.
Some of the files were reopened, although no charges were laid as a result.
"We couldn't type substantiate any type of charge moving forward, but it did help us get a more thorough approach. The most important part is that now it's establishing a bar and setting a standard for that future sex crimes investigators must follow," said Supt. Patrick Nogier with the Saskatoon Police Service.
On Thursday, Nogier presented a report on the 2022 Victim Advocate Case Review program to the city's board of police commissioners.
Nogier said SPS has already taken steps to improve the way it works with people reporting sexual assaults because of the review team's feedback.
"Language that to me was very common — with respect to communication to a sexual assault survivor — was deemed to be somewhat problematic from a victim advocate lens."
Reagan Conway, executive director of SSAIC, told the board of police commissioners that one of their concerns was the way officers were providing case updates to victims. She noted certain phrasing could make victims blame themselves or feel as if they weren't a "good victim."
"There wasn't enough information as to why it was continuing or [the investigation] was just closed because it couldn't go any further, and so we gave ideas on how to give that feedback without the victim feeling that it was their fault."
Officers now have phrasing and scripts from the SSAIC. Conway said she hopes the partnership leads to better experiences for survivors of assault, whether that's helping them understand why charges weren't laid or having investigators take another look at a case.
Sexual violence is incredibly under-reported, which is part of why it's so important that the cases that are reported be investigated thoroughly and that victims trust they will be taken seriously, said Kristina Kaminiski, collaborative community justice co-ordinator for the Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan.
Kaminski has participated in conversations provincially and nationally about case review programs, which have been in development across Canada for more than a decade. She said the programs are about bringing two groups of experts together to highlight what's being done well and to solve problems or identify barriers.
