NEWS Halton police revise policy on sexual assault, with emphasis on victim support Board provides $15,000 to new sexual assault advisory committee DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com The Halton Regional Po- lice Service Board voted May 17 to officially revise the Halton police sexual as- sault investigation policy, adding a greater emphasis on victim support. One new paragraph in the policy states "the Chief of Police shall develop and maintain service directives and procedures that safe- guard victim privacy in conjunction with stan- dards established by the In- formation and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario." Another paragraph ref- erenced the recently creat- ed sexual assault advisory committee. Presenting Sponsor: HLL) WHEELS Benefitting The Darling Home for Kids The policy refers to this committee as a communi- ty-based stakeholders group, which includes vic- tim/survivor advocacy agencies, police and other direct service providers to survivors of sexual assault. The committee's respon- sibilities aré spelled out in the policy to include; ensur- ing that survivors of sexual assault are provided with the best support possible; determining whether sexu- al assault cases are being classified as they should be; and making recommenda- tions to resolve any inap- propriately classified case. The policy. revisjon fol- lows a Globe and Mail re- port, which revealed 30 per cent of sexual assault cases « Choose your distance and experience the stunning views of the Niagara escarpment: 100 km - 50 km - 25 km Volunteer Sponsor Dufferin Aggregates ATTENTION ALL CYCLISTS! « Free lunch and refreshments for all registered riders. « Tons of prizes, sponsor swag and gifts! « PLUS... Meet the pros and our special dignitaries, including olympic cyclists Dede and Michael Barry ERE Rel'i'del + ¥ off Ee PREY reported in Halton (about 50 cases a year) were classi- fied as unfounded. The report prompted an internal police audit of the handling of sexual assault cases in 2016. : Halton police have em- phasized "unfounded" is a Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) term that is one way for a police service to close ~ an occurrence. "Unfounded" does not mean police donot believe a victim or person reporting. They said all reported incidents are fully investi- gated. : The policy revisions al- sorecognized the establish- ment of a victim-advocate case-review system that provides for independent evaluation by community partners of all sexual gs- sault cases classified as un- founded to determine "This is a service we are asking our community partners to provitle us in order to enhance our credibility and the quality of the job we do. I believe in paying for what we ask people to do." - Rob Burton, Oakville Mayor and Board Chair whether these cases have been appropriately classi- fied. Another change to the policy states that the police board will be provided with an annual report on the recommendations of the sexual assault advisory committee and the findings of its victim-advocate case reviews, including: .The number of sexual assault cases reported The number of un- founded cases .The number of cases in- dependently reviewed by community partners Actions taken to ad- dress the recommenda- tions of the sexual assault advisory committee The police board also voted to provide the sexual assault advisory commit- tee with $15,000 to compen- sate the various not-for- profit agencies for the use of their personnel. A BRAND-NEW POWER HAS ARRIVED The all-NEW Miele Blizzard CX1. The bagless vacuum cleaner with innovative vortex technology... FREE 10 YEAR WARRANTY until June 7th, 2018! The Vacuum Store 785 Main Street E., Milton 905-876-3394 Serving Milton since 1988. "I strongly support sup- porting our community partners who are helping * us do a better job in this ar- ea," said Oakville Mayor and board chair Rob Bur- ; ton. "This is a service we are asking our community partners to provide usin or- der to enhance our credibil- ity and the quality of the job we do. I believe in paying for what we ask people to do." The policy change and funding announcement fol- low Halton police's release of an information guide for victims/survivors of sexu- al assault. : The 20-page guide pro- vides information about what options a victim has following a sexual assault and what they can expect @® See GUIDE, page 36 : Mie . le LR an 38 ssl dl Lal 2 IMMER BESSER N \ _ 810Z IE Ae 'Aepsuny] | uoidweys uepeue vou @ woo uojjeyspisul