By Canadian Press

Regina police pilot program will allow experts to review sex assault cases

May 8, 2019 | 10:37 AM

REGINA — The Regina Police Service is the latest agency in Canada to pilot a program that allows sexual assault investigations to be reviewed by outside experts.

The service says it will be trying the program first used in Philadelphia that allows external advocates to help police review sexual assault and abuse cases to ensure investigations are thorough and correctly classified.

Regina police Chief Evan Bray says an expert group of four to six people will also review current cases in which charges have not been laid or the allegations deemed unfounded.

He expects the 17-month program will review 100 to 120 cases in a year, and will help improve police accountability and transparency within the community.

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“If you tell me that the report that I’m writing, or the investigation that I’m doing, once done, is going to be reviewed by a group of experts, that’s going to enhance it,” Bray said Monday.

“It’s going to make our police service better and that will translate into better investigations.”

Cases that were initially classified as unfounded have been reopened in other Canadian cities where the Philadelphia model exists. 

Last summer, Calgary police announced they would begin reviewing case files using the same approach and said they were the first agency in Canada to adopt the model. It’s also being piloted by police agencies in Ontario.

The Saskatchewan government is funding Regina’s program and Bray said he wants it to become a fixture.

The service plans to train with a Canadian expert on the Philadelphia model and start the pilot this summer.

Lisa Miller, executive director of the Regina Sexual Assault Centre, said Saskatchewan has high rates of sexual violence. She believes the program will help identify barriers that exist for people reporting assaults and gaps that prevent their files from moving forward.

“We have a variety of experiences with police, some very, very positive,” said Miller.

“And some where … officers are rushing through, trying to get interviews and maybe not really looking at the emotional state or the needs of the person that’s experienced it.”

Miller will be among the advocates doing the reviews of police files, which include taped interviews and notes.

She said criteria to be used to assess cases are still being worked out.

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press