Following in the footsteps of the RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) announced onFriday plans to conduct a full review of sexual assault complaints that were dismissed as unfounded.
The police force intends on studying a sample of files that were classified as unfounded, to check whether investigators followed proper procedures.
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The aim of the review isn’t to re-open any of the cases but rather to verify why the cases were dismissed.
An earlier investigation by the Globe and Mail revealed a high number of claims were dismissed across the country. In Quebec the percentage of dismissed cases reached 17 per cent compared to 19 per cent for the national average.
On Friday, Quebec’s Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux announced the government would inspect all police forces in the province to see how they handle sexual assault complaints.