After six months of work, Stratford police have released several recommendations following a review of sexual assault occurrences reported to the service between 2010 and 2014.
The findings of the review highlight a need for change in the way the service processes such calls, police said in a statement.
The review, which began in February, was conducted in collaboration with several agencies including Optimism Place, the Emily Murphy Centre, a sexual assault working group, Stratford police civilian and sworn staff, and Peel Regional Police.
It came in the wake of a damning Globe and Mail report that found deep flaws in the way police services across Canada treated sexual assault allegations.
Similar reviews were launched soon after by Ontario Provincial Police, and by the London Police Service, which was found to have one of the highest unfounded rates in the country.
Statistics reported by The Globe and Mail found that about 48 per cent of sexual assault allegations reported to Stratford police from 2010 to 2014 were cleared as unfounded.
On Thursday, Stratford police said they had reviewed 114 sexual assault occurrences reported in that time frame and found a total of 21, or about 18.4 per cent, were determined to be unfounded.
Nationally, the average is 19 per cent.
“The initial internal review, and an external one conducted by the Peel Regional Police, both underscored an issue with the way the Stratford Police Service had coded sexual assault cases under the Unified Crime Reporting (UCR) survey,” said Stratford Police Chief Mike Bellai in a statement.
Investigations of such occurrences are conducted by detectives assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division, who conduct them with “integrity, professionalism, and a focus on justice and victim care,” Bellai said. “There is always room for improvement as we constantly look for ways to better serve our community.”
The review has led to a number of recommendations from Bellai, including a review of sexual assault cases labelled unfounded, dating from 2000 to 2017.
Other recommendations include reviewing Stratford police’s General Orders relating to investigating sexual assaults, the implementation of the Philadelphia Model of sexual assault review, and continued partnerships with several agencies including the sexual assault working group, Optimism Place, and Emily Murphy Centre.
In addition, Bellai recommended, among others, that the force ensures consistent investigations, victim assistance and care, and accurate UCR coding, and that officers participate in trauma informed care training and advocate for sexual assault kits to be administered locally.
— With files from Matthew Trevithick, Liny Lamberink, Natalie Lovie, and The Canadian Press
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