A new Alberta RCMP program will give abused children support no matter where they live.
Fifty-five experienced officers started specialized training in the child abuse investigator program earlier this year, shadowing the work done in the Zebra Child Protection Centre.
The caseload for the Zebra centre in downtown Edmonton has been doubling every year.
In 2016, Zebra investigators alone supported more than 1,600 children.
“In 2016 to 2017, the file load increased by about 65 per cent,” Cpl. Angela Heath said on Friday.
Heath is a forensic interviewer at the Zebra centre and said most of her days are spent listening to children.
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She said so far this year, her team has helped 49 RCMP detachments in northern Alberta and is currently working on 122 files. The majority are sexual abuse investigations.
“They can’t protect themselves, so they need a protector,” Heath said.
“We don’t want to provide a child with an answer,” she added. “We ask them open-ended questions.”
Investigations involving children are complex.
Gaining the trust of a child is critical and how that child is interviewed is paramount to the investigation and the courts.
“Often, in child sexual abuse investigations, there isn’t that physical evidence,” said Kim Clark, director of investigative partners and supports with the Zebra Child Protection Centre, “so all the more importance is put on the voice of the child.”
Clark said it is recommended that only forensic-trained interviewers talk to kids.
Rookie officers are not specifically taught how to interview young victims, and many of those officers are stationed in remote or rural detachments.
Sgt. Rob Rubuliak with the RCMP serious crimes branch said it’s paramount children all over the province get the same treatment and support; allowing them to stay in their communities.
“In 113 detachments, you can’t have specialized units but what we can bring is specialized investigators,” he said.
“We want to make sure that any interactions with the children are not tainted, ” Rubuliak added. “They are done once and they’re done right.”
Heath said one of the officers in the training program sharpened her interviewing skills and learned to soften physical space. That officer rearranged her detachment’s interview room to make it more comfortable for children.
“The child knows how important they are to us and how important their feelings are.”
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