B.C. launches new sexual assault supports, police standards

The B.C. government has announced it is investing in more supports for sexual assault survivors, and it is also establishing new police standards related to such investigations.

In a news release Monday, the province says 68 new sexual assault programs will receive funding to help survivors recover.

Five regional sexual assault centres will also be established with dedicated spaces to provide wraparound services for victims.

The provincial government notes that the majority of people impacted by sexual assaults include women, girls, and gender-diverse people.

It adds that many survivors “are hesitant to report sexual assault due to the distrust of the criminal justice system and the fear that they will not be believed.”

In terms of policing, the province explains the investment will also help establish further standards to “respect and support the diverse needs of survivors and ensure more effective investigations.”

Officers are slated to work in collaboration with people who work in victim services so that they can help “consider the survivor’s unique needs when they first report the sexual assault.”

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Additionally, the province notes there will also be “supervisory oversight” for sexual assault investigations, to ensure that they are handled with additional care and that the people involved are “responsive, trauma-informed and impartial.”

“The new standards promote police coordination with local health services and other community-based supports and will apply to all police officers in B.C.,” the provincial release reads.

Phil Heard, an inspector with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), says the department will review and update its policies around sexual assault investigations.

“The biggest aspect that I think we’ve talked about is accountability and transparency in terms of survivors. So that the survivors understand exactly what the roles and the duties of the police are, and what they can expect in the investigative process, as well as the support they can expect from community-based organizations,” he said.

Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth adds that “all survives deserve fair and empathetic treatment.”

“New policing standards and investments in sexual assault programs will empower survivors to decide how they want their case to proceed, shield them from further harm and connect them with services for a pathway to healing. Our government is building a safer, healthier and more just province for all of us by promoting high-quality and unbiased policing and providing stable funding for crucial services that support survivors,” he said.

“We will have all policing agencies working by the same standards, and by the same rules.” 

Kelli Paddon, the parliamentary secretary for gender equity, says that “sexualized violence is deeply traumatic for people.”

“Too many people face gender-based violence in communities across B.C., with women, girls, and gender-diverse people being disproportionately affected. Stable, reliable funding to support dedicated sexual assault programs, as well as these new police standards build on other life-saving work to support survivors across the province, including counselling, outreach and crisis support, and victim-service programs,” she said.

The province notes program funding will start in July of this year, and the new policing standards are slated to begin in 2024.

With files from Michael Williams