Regina Police Service introduces trauma-informed policy for sex assault cases

In an attempt to encourage victims of sexual assault to come forward, the Regina Police Service has introduced a new policy for handling the cases. 

The trauma-informed approach will focus on the comfort and wellbeing of alleged victims and treating them with respect, according to Staff Sergeant Chris Jackiw, who presented the new sexual assault case policy to the Board of Police Commissioners at city hall on Tuesday.

Sexual assault crimes often go unreported by victims due to trauma, embarrassment, shame and the fear of not being believed, Jackiw said.

"The point of this [new policy] is to make our officers aware of any bias they may have and to give careful consideration to the way they conduct their investigations and interviews."

That means "being non-judgmental, while remaining objective and mindful of the impact that the traumatic situation may have on the victim," Jackiw said. 

Therefore going forward, police will take a trauma-informed approach to handling victims, and work to not perpetuate "rape culture," a term used to describe a society or environment whose prevailing attitudes have the effect of normalizing or trivializing sexual assault and abuse.

"Common behaviours include victim blaming, such as: 'Why did you go home with that person? Why did you drink so much? What did you expect wearing that outfit?'" said Jackiw.

He said the police will be expected to provide clear communication to the victim on the processes following a sexual assault, including what happens as part of the investigation, reporting options like victims services and the potential judicial process. 

"It means providing our officers with an understanding of the neuro-biological science and an evidence-based investigative approach about how specific experiences impact victim trauma, memory reactions and behaviour," Jackiw said.

Trauma responses may include the victim acting catatonic, or disassociated. They may be very upset and depressed, or they may be emotionally numb. 

"These are all unique to each individual victim and should not be judged or questioned, but understood as a trauma response. Understanding these trauma responses is imperative," said Jackiw. 

There was not a comprehensive policy for dealing with sexual assault victims in place until now, Lisa Miller, executive director of the Regina and Area Sexual Assault Centre, said in an interview with CBC.

The organization provided feedback to Regina police on ways they could enhance their service. And the resulting policy is an important upgrade, she said. 

"Understanding how trauma impacts a person's memory can help an officer get better evidence and get better information from the person that's reporting," Miller said.