According to a police report presented to the London Police Services Board, less than 40 per cent of alleged sexual assaults reported to London, Ontario police since 2019 resulted in charges. A police report presented to the London Police Services Board provided this information. Thursday.
In response to an inquiry from the board, a report regarding the 2023 sexual assault investigation and the victim advocate review program was released this week.
The report shows a steady increase in sexual assault reports to London police since 2019, with 586 reported in 2023.
Police board vice-chair Megan Walker stated, “The number of women being sexually assaulted is not decreasing, it is growing.
The statistics from year to year highlight a growing pattern, indicating that more work needs to be done in this area.
Over a five-year period, about 32 per cent of victims chose not to proceed with charges, with a peak of 36.2 per cent in 2022.
Det. Sgt. Katherine Dann, who oversees a team investigating sexual assault and child abuse, mentioned that there are various reasons for not pursuing charges.
Dann said, “Many times, victims report to protect other women and make the police aware of the incident, without wishing to go to court.
They want the police to know what happened, and they want the offender to know that they’ve reported to the police, but they’re not interested in proceeding to the courts.”
Dann added that because there’s no statute of limitations in Canada, sexual assaults can be reported at any time and charges can be laid if evidence is sufficient.
Around 25-35 per cent of the reported sexual assaults lacked sufficient evidence for charges, although this number has declined steadily since 2021.
“The victim is not interested in speaking to us … without that formal statement, there’s really not much we can go on.”
“We have cases where the suspect cannot be identified, and we just don’t have enough to identify the suspect, which is considered insufficient evidence to proceed.
The report states that several allegations are still under investigation or have been resolved through other means, including the death of a suspect.
The report lists several reasons for the increase in reported sexual assaults, such as population growth, the #MeToo movement, and “enhanced confidence and trust in the London Police Service.” It concludes that sexual assaults continue to be under-reported.
The violence against women advocate case review program was initiated in 2018, following a review of sexual assault investigations labeled as “unfounded” between 2010 and 2016.
Dann stated, “The purpose and scope of the program is to improve responses to sexual assault reports, aid in the apprehension of offenders, and provide proper service and respect to sexual assault complainants.”
While the program has not yet opened a case, Walker says the review team is very important for holding people responsible.
“It’s important for women feeling safe and secure and building a good relationship, and it’s important in ensuring that there wouldn't be any incorrect place a woman could go to reveal.”
