Jane Sterk said she believes the RCMP detachments in the Cowichan Valley take reports of sexual assaults seriously and support the people who report them.
But Sterk, executive director of the Cowichan Women Against Violence Society, credited the Globe & Mail newspaper investigative report that found that police across Canada close about one in five sex-assault cases as “unfounded” for spurring movement on the issue across the nation.
The national average of cases closed as unfounded is about 19 per cent according to the Globe’s analysis, which was based on data from 873 police jurisdictions across Canada over a five-year period, from 2010 to 2014.
An unfounded classification “means that the investigator does not believe a criminal offence occurred or was attempted,” according to the Globe & Mail.
To put that number into perspective, the Globe found that according to research from North America, the United Kingdom and Australia, between two and eight per cent of complaints are false reports.
The numbers are much smaller than the national average in the Cowichan Valley over that time period, according to the national newspaper.
The North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP detachment reported 12 per cent, or 34 of 286 allegations, as unfounded, during the five-year period, while the Shawnigan Lake RCMP detachment was at 10 per cent, or 11 of the 109 allegations made were determined to be unfounded.
Sterk said RCMP detachments in the Valley are “fairly progressive.”
“We have a domestic violence unit established in the region that often deals with sexual assault cases, and it does a good job,” she said.
“My concern is that with all the changes in officers at the detachments, they may not be keeping enough trained people in those positions. But I believe there’s a commitment here to treat these cases seriously and to support the women who report them.”
At 11 per cent, B.C. has the lowest rate in the country of sex-assault cases that were determined to be unfounded, according to the Globe & Mail.
At 32 per cent, New Brunswick has the highest number of cases classified as unfounded, followed by PEI at 27 per cent and Nova Scotia at 25 per cent.
Sterk said she is very concerned about the high number of cases that the Globe & Mail has reported from across the country.
“It just gives another reason not to report these crimes if people think they won’t be taken seriously,” she said.
“I think it’s significant that, after the Globe story was published, all the ministers responsible for public safety across the country agreed to meet to discuss national standards on this issue. I hope something comes out of it, like providing special training for the police.”
The RCMP didn’t respond to requests to discuss Cowichan Valley numbers specifically, but the national police force said in a statement that it plans to review sexual assault cases that were labelled unfounded in 2016 to see if they comply with police policy and appropriate decision-making based on evidence.
“Sexual assault can have a devastating impact on victims,” the statement said. “Investigations can be challenging and complex in determining the specific circumstances of an assault allegation, and in identifying and preserving evidence. As stated by the [RCMP] commissioner [Bob Paulson on Feb. 6], the result of an investigation must turn on evidence, and not on opinion.”