MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – A southern Ontario police force says an internal review of sexual assault cases labelled “unfounded” dating back to 2010 has found 273 cases that were incorrectly classified.
Peel region police say the review was initiated in February following media reports that a large number of sexual assault cases in Canada were being classified as unfounded.
The force says a team of senior investigators examined a total of 4,180 sexual assault cases. Of those, 1,016 cases — 24.3 per cent — has originally been classified as unfounded.
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Peel police say they have implemented a number of recommendations — including training on case classification practices and bi-annual audits of all unfounded sexual assault cases — since the review.
READ MORE: Stratford police chief issues list of recommendations following review of sexual assault occurrences
After a sexual assault investigation is closed, police are federally mandated classify a case into one of 15 categories.
The unfounded classification means the investigation determined that the reported offence did not occur, nor was it attempted and therefore no violations of the Criminal Code or other federal statute took place.
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