NB police learn more compassionate ways to deal with sexual violence victims

Police officers in Fredericton took part in a pilot training project Wednesday, designed to help law enforcement officials better understand and deal with victims of sexual violence in a more compassionate and caring way.

Executive director of the Fredericton Sexual Assault Centre, Lorraine Whalley says the training will be beneficial to everyone involved in sexual violence cases.

“It’s difficult enough to come forward in the first place — so it’s so important that we create a system that is understanding, informed, that understands the impact of trauma and then can respond accordingly,” said Whalley.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's difficult enough to come forward in the first place — so it's so important that we create a system that is understanding, informed, that understands the impact of trauma and then can respond accordingly," said Whalley.

Fredericton police chief Leanne Fitch says it’s important that police are able to respond with compassion and understanding while conducting investigations.

The pilot project is based on a needs assessment with victims of sexual violence and service providers.  It’s a collaboration between the Fredericton Police Force and the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre.

Fitch says a number of priorities were determined during the assessment, namely a particular need for specialized training for law enforcement teams.

“The training is very timely. There’s an awakening I guess in the police community right across the country of the importance of understanding the trauma on victims because victims also turn into witnesses in the criminal justice system, and we need to be able to manage investigative files with compassion and with care and with understanding,” continued Fitch.

Cst. Brandon Gaynor says this is a step in the right direction to better enhancing not just police response, but the community’s response too.

“Anything that we can do as a community, as first responders to better that environment, to make victims comfortable with coming forward and reporting these incidents, then the better off we are in the long term,” Gaynor said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Anything that we can do as a community, as first responders to better that environment, to make victims comfortable with coming forward and reporting these incidents, then the better off we are in the long term," Gaynor said.

The project is in the pilot phase for developing the training and rolling it out to partner agencies.

Fitch says she believes this is a continued trend and will be following up with a centre in the months to come.

“I would expect this is something you’re going to see gain traction in policing communities right across the country,” Fitch said.