NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE
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Unfounded sexual assault review update
The South Simcoe Police Service has completed a comprehensive review of all sexual assault cases that were classified as ‘unfounded’ since 2010.
Chief Andrew Fletcher had requested the review after a report in the Globe and Mail newspaper criticizing police services across Canada regarding sexual assault investigations that ended up being classified as 'unfounded' between 2010 and 2014.
The South Simcoe Police Service review included the five years captured in the Globe and Mail article, and was further expanded to include 2015 and 2016 sexual assault investigations. "We want all victims of sexual assault or other serious crimes to have confidence in the South Simcoe Police Service,” notes Chief Fletcher. "We take these matters seriously, which is why we expanded the scope of the review.”
One hundred and twenty-four sexual assault incidents were reviewed by a team of experienced investigators. The administrative portion of the review identified that only 34 of the occurrences were cleared in accordance with Stats Canada definitions. On February 14, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) provided police with updated guidelines to assist them with determining how to accurately score an incident as either 'unfounded' or 'founded'.
South Simcoe Police Service will be resubmitting these occurrences to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics with new clearance codes reflecting the recent guidelines. Additionally, every supervisor within the service will be receiving training on the guidelines within the next two weeks to ensure that every occurrence is scored consistently moving forward.
The review has also caused South Simcoe Police to reopen the investigation into two sexual assault occurrences. "We understand that it is critical for our service to continue to earn the public’s confidence and trust in the discharge of our duties,” notes Fletcher. "We will conduct a full re-investigation of these two occurrences to ensure compliance with Provincial Guidelines and our own policies and procedures relating to them.” The investigation will include consultation with a crown attorney and Victim Services. Any recommendations will be carefully reviewed and acted upon.
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