Timmins police renew commitment to reviewing failed sexual assault cases

Experts estimate that just five per cent of sexual assault cases are reported to police, while a fraction of those lead to charges.

The federally-funded Improving Institutional Accountability Project has been offering police services around the country a model for reviewing cases that don't move forward to the justice system, to look for possible mishandling or overlooked aspects victims' reports.

Sunny Marriner, the national project lead, updated the Timmins Police Service on the status on the Violence Against Women Advocate Case Review program, which prescribes better oversight on sexual assault cases.

"Some Canadian numbers show that, on average, only one in five reports results in a charge," Marriner said.

"Why are those four cases not able to move forward? Case review comes in to address the question."

Until 2018, Marriner said police agencies lacked proper oversight, leaning on local sexual assault experts to advocate for victims.

Timmins was one of the first to sign on to the case review initiative and the Timmins Area Women in Crisis Centre's executive director, Julie DeMarchi, said there have been positive results.

"What we want to do is try to create a safer space for women that have sexual violence to be able to come forward and feel confident in being able to report," DeMarchi said.

Timmins police data shows that it dealt with just under 500 sexual violence cases between 2018 and now. Just under 200 of those led to charges.

Police Chief Daniel Foy said though he's just learning about the case review model, since taking on his role, he's committed to continuing the work of finding ways to improve police handling of sexual assault reports.

"The conversation needs to continue and we're part of that conversation," Foy said.

"We're here to listen and to take in the recommendations that will allow us to improve our service."

DeMarchi said one of the most common reasons cases don't move forward, is because they're not taken seriously.

Police need to be able to lean on experts who have first-hand experience dealing with victims of sexual violence and allow them to offer insight on victims' behaviour and to help guide them through the legal system.

Not every survivor comes in crying and sometimes it takes time to gain the courage to speak about what has happened.

"Nobody's experience is going to be the same, no one is going to react the same," DeMarchi said.

She said she has noticed impressive improvements at the police service over the years and hopes to continue building that relationship.

Victims deserve a fair chance to get justice, Marriner added, and that it shouldn't be their job to make the system function properly.

Dozens of communities have pledged to support the case review initiative nationwide.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, support is available across northern Ontario. Services for survivors of intimate partner violence is also available.