By Glory Przekop

Info session hopes to educate frontline staff accepting sexual assault disclosures

Feb 12, 2018 | 5:34 AM

Grande Prairie’s Chief Crown Prosecutor will be speaking at an event this week in hopes of educating frontline staff when it comes to helping sexual assault victims.

Called ‘Reporting Sexual Assault and Navigating the Criminal Justice System’, Steven Hinkley says he will be explaining what participating in the criminal justice system looks.

“What the important things to know and understand when receiving a sexual assault disclosure are, also, how to best guide people who are making sexual assault disclosure through the criminal justice system and to the appropriate resources to ensure their disclosures are dealt with in the most timely and effective manner.”

He says according to the recent Vital Signs report there already has been an increase in reports of sexual assaults here and he expects the numbers to increase.

“The vast majority of sexual assault reports tend to go to someone who is not the police first and in order to assist people in the criminal justice system and working through the criminal justice system, this type of education would be incredible useful even without the #MeToo movement, it just becomes very timely in the face of it.”

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Cpl. Shawn Graham says “Deciding to report a sexual assault, or any trauma, to police is a highly emotional experience. As a result, many victims hesitate to make a report and it can be days, months or years before they feel ready to tell their story. There is no time limit on a sexual assault investigation the victim can report the incident at any point.

When reporting a sexual assault, you can expect to provide a statement to a police officer including all pertinent information relating to the incident. Police take sexual assault complaints very seriously, it is their job to take the information you provide and use it to investigate and gather evidence of the crime. If a person is charged with an offence you may be asked by the court to testify during a trial. Police do have independent Victim Services employees that can assist you with reporting and navigating through the legal process.

The recent publicity surrounding the #metoo movement in the entertainment industry has likely allowed victims to recognize that they are not alone and has given them the confidence to come forward however; there is no system in place to identify and quantify those victims that were solely influenced by the #metoo movement to report.”

You have to register for the Friday event through PACE at 780-539-6692 or email askpace@pacecentre.com

Hinkley says if there is demand for the service, he will hold another information centre.