The Kelowna RCMP will be further investigating 12 sexual assault cases that were deemed sa国际传媒渦nfoundedsa国际传媒� in 2018 and 2019 and create a new sexual assault unit in response to public outcry about how the police force investigated dozens of sexual assault cases over the past two years.

The recommendation from the RCMPsa国际传媒檚 national Sexual Assault Review Team (SART) comes nearly five months after the local detachment came under fire after sa国际传媒 revealed nearly 40 per cent of sexual assaults reported to police were deemed sa国际传媒渦nfounded.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淏ased on the SART recommendations, any files that were identified for additional investigation will be investigated further. This has already started,sa国际传媒漵a国际传媒� states a press release published on Feb. 27.

The press release also states the RCMP will create a dedicated sexual assault unit to provide investigative support to front line officers as early as March.

sa国际传媒淭he unit will be responsible for reviewing all sexual assault files to ensure all investigations are consistent, complete, accurately documented, trauma-informed and scored correctly,sa国际传媒� states the press release.

sa国际传媒淭his team will provide Kelowna detachment with in-house expertise in sexual assault and investigative best practices, including bias awareness. These members will work closely with community partners such as the Elizabeth Fry Society (EFry) and Crown Counsel, our domestic violence unit and the new Kelowna Child Advocacy Centre (CAC).sa国际传媒�

Heather Friesen, a sexual assault survivor and a vocal advocate for change within the RCMP, said she was pleased with the RCMPsa国际传媒檚 report.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 shocked and pleasantly surprised that theysa国际传媒檙e putting in the sexual assault unit with the RCMP. Hopefully the officers will be properly trained and know how to investigate rape,sa国际传媒� said Friesein.

sa国际传媒淚 still donsa国际传媒檛 understand why it took a month for the report to be released. Why did they make us wait so long for it? Thatsa国际传媒檚 kind of ridiculous.sa国际传媒�

Michelle Novakowski, the executive director for the Elizebeth Fry Society, also welcomed the reportsa国际传媒檚 recommendations.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 hoping this report will reassure survivors about coming forward, whether itsa国际传媒檚 to the RCMP or to the FRY society. I think sexual assault investigations will improve from here and that survivors will get a better service moving forward,sa国际传媒� said Novakowski.

sa国际传媒淔rom this year to last year, the number of people reporting sexual assault cases to us is up 500 per cent.sa国际传媒�

READ MORE: sa国际传媒楽teeped in rape culturesa国际传媒�: Sexual assault survivor speaks out against Kelowna RCMP

READ MORE: Kelowna RCMP vow to review sa国际传媒榰nfoundedsa国际传媒� sexual assault cases

The report also found 29 files were incorrectly classified within the police forcesa国际传媒檚 uniform crime reporting (UCR) survey and 25 sexual assault files remained unfounded. In total the review team looked at 66 files, including 30 from 2018 and 36 from 2019.

According to the press release, the UCR reporting system is used by police forces in Canada to record the type of reported criminal offence, whether the reported crime is founded or unfounded, and if the reported crime has been concluded. This information is then shared with Statistics Canada through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey to track crime statistics across the country.

sa国际传媒淭he use of the wrong UCR codes was the most common issue identified during the review,sa国际传媒� states the press release.

sa国际传媒淏ased on the SART review and the correction in the classification of files Kelownasa国际传媒檚 unfounded sexual assault rate is fact in line with the provincial average.sa国际传媒�

According to Statistics Canada, on average 15 per cent of sexual assaults are deemed sa国际传媒渦nfoundedsa国际传媒� in B.C.

READ MORE: Kelowna mayor to request RCMPsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒榰nfoundedsa国际传媒� sexual assault report

READ MORE: READ MORE: sa国际传媒楶lease be quiet,sa国际传媒� Kelowna Mayor tells sexual assault survivor protesting in council chambers

To help fix this issue, police officers will be getting training in March on how to properly file cases dealing with sexual assault.

In addition, the press release said all local police members are in the process of receiving additional training with respect to sexual consent law, and additional training, formal and informal, on trauma-informed practices and bias awareness.

sa国际传媒淚t is anticipated that the increased training and ongoing consultation will help increase the quality of sexual assault investigations and UCR scoring,sa国际传媒� states the press release.

The local detachment said it already began to remodel its general investigation unit prior to the SART review of sexual assault files to provide better support to frontline members and enhance overall policing service.

In Febuary an eight person, plain clothes, general investigation support team will be created to work directly with frontline members.

sa国际传媒淭he Kelowna RCMP remain steadfast in our commitment to improving internal processes, educating and training employees on sexual assault investigations,sa国际传媒� states the press release.

sa国际传媒淪exual assault complaints can be extremely difficult and complicated investigations that cover a broad spectrum of offences. They are especially troubling crimes due to the personal and intimate nature of the offence.

sa国际传媒淭he dedicated women and men at Kelowna Detachment are committed to helping their community and providing a quality police service that everyone can trust, especially when it comes to reporting sexual assaults. Kelowna RCMP take all reports of sexual violence seriously and will thoroughly investigate any report brought forward.sa国际传媒�

After the report was released, Kelowna mayor Colin Basran also released a statement on the issue.

sa国际传媒淚 want to thank and recognize the women who came forward to speak out on their experiences sa国际传媒� it took courage and it will make a difference to those who come forward in the future,sa国际传媒� said Basran.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 councilsa国际传媒檚 expectation that everyone is dealt with fairly and with dignity.sa国际传媒�

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