The North Bay Police Service is reacting to a Globe and Mail report which compared unfounded sexual assault rates across Canada, and North Bay didn't fare very well.
The report which came out on Sunday had statistics showing that 44% of sexual assaults over the past five years in the North Bay area were dismissed as unfounded by the North Bay Police Service.
Overall, the report states that in Canada, police dismiss 1 out of every 5 sexual assault reports as unfounded – meaning police believe the crime didn't happen.
The news comes only a few months after MacLeans Magazine did a story indicating that North Bay is the fifth worst rated city when it comes to being sexually assaulted. St. John, New Brunswick came in as the worst city.
See that story: Police react to alarming local sexual assault stats
North Bay Police Chief Shawn Devine is not questioning the statistics.
“What we have to look at is, are we comparing the reporting style of different police agencies that don’t report in the same way and are we all classifying in the same way? I think that’s one of the focuses Robin Doolittle [Globe & Mail reporter] is looking at is there is not consistency across the country on how those reports are made,” stated Devine.
North Bay’s Police Chief says they are already working with Amelia Rising at trying to work together on a grant proposal to look at the way sexual assault investigations are done in North Bay.
“I believe there is opportunity here to look at our investigations - I am not going to dispute the numbers - whether that’s a classification issue, whether it’s the way we report stuff, I think if there’s a better way of doing investigations in this I would be supportive of it. So how we enter into that review, we are still going to have to sit down and do some negotiating on that, because we also have to recognize that there’s privacy issues, legislative issues that are there but I applaud the efforts of Brenda at Amelia Rising for making her application and we look forward to working with her,” said Devine.
Brenda Quenneville, Executive Director of the Amelia Rising Sexual Assault Centre of Nipissing in an email to BayToday said, "This is a sad confirmation of what we already know and have experienced. Here in Nipissing, our ‘unfounded’ rates range from 34%-44% where nationally, we see 19%.
"When sexual assault allegations are dismissed with such frequency, “it is a sign of deeper flaws in the investigative process: inadequate training for police; dated interviewing techniques that do not take into account the effect that trauma can have on memory; and the persistence of rape myths among law-enforcement officials”
BayToday also contacted the West Nipissing Police Service for reaction, but Chief Chuck Seguin would only say the data is being studied.
It showed that of a population of 14,535, the five-year unfounded sexual assault rate was 34 of 95 allegations, a rate of 36 per cent.
See Parry Sound.
Meanwhile OPP Commissioner, Vince Hawkes released a statement this afternoon regarding sexual assault investigations conducted by the OPP.
“The OPP takes all reports of sexual assault and violence very seriously and uses all resources necessary to conduct complete, thorough and professional investigations. We have policies and procedures in place, mandatory training for investigators, and layers of supervision and review for these types of investigations. We are strongly committed to continuously seek improvement in order to earn and maintain public’s confidence and trust.
"Over the next several weeks, the OPP will review approximately 4,000 sexual assault investigation reports that resulted in a designation as 'unfounded' between the years 2010 to 2014. We want to ensure that all reports during that period were properly classified when received; that the incidents were appropriately investigated; and, that the correct classification was used when the investigation was completed. It will take some time to review and assess these incidents, and, if warranted, we will expand the review.
"If it is determined that any sexual assault report was not properly investigated by the OPP, we will re-open that investigation."
