'Unfounded' sexual assault rate nearly halved by Waterloo region police

The number of sexual assault cases deemed "unfounded" by the Waterloo Regional Police Service was reduced by nearly half last year, according to a report that went before the police services board Wednesday.

The percentage of unfounded cases declined from 15 per cent in 2017 to eight per cent in 2018, the report said.

Crimes are classified unfounded by police if investigators believe they were not attempted and didn't happen.

Two years ago, local police faced criticism of their handling of sexual assault cases after a Globe and Mail investigation revealed that the unfounded rate in Waterloo region was 27 per cent — eight per cent higher than the national average.

Today, the unfounded rate for Waterloo Regional Police is three per cent lower than the national average, according to the police board report.

Police chief Bryan Larkin credits the decline in unfounded cases to a task force set up in 2017 to work with police on their handling of sexual assault investigations.

"I'm happy to see the number reduce," said Larkin. "That being said, I think we've got to look at this from a three-to-five year perspective.'  Larkin said he wants to see increased improvement and increased change in that time.

Larkin said about 150 investigators have been trained so far on interviewing survivors of trauma, whose testimony is often less linear than police might otherwise expect. Additional training that will help investigators sift through "rape myths," is still to come, he said.

Number of charges laid

Sara Casselman, who is part of the police sexual assault task force, says the rate drop is promising but that tracking the number of cases where charges were actually laid provides a more accurate picture of how police respond to sexual assaults and whether justice has been served. 

According to Casselman's analysis, the percentage of "level one" sexual assault cases where Waterloo police laid charges increased from around 21 per cent in 2016, to 26 per cent in 2017, to 27.5 per cent in 2018.

Most sexual assault cases fall into "level one," so it provides the best picture of victim's average experience, she said.

"So I'm hopeful," said Casselman.

"If we go the next few years and we still see slight increases … then that would reflect that there is change happening."

Casselman's task force continues to meet quarterly to review past sexual assault cases where no charges were laid, and to evaluate police's handling of the case, she said.

Their next meeting is at the end of the month.