Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. government announces new programs, police standards for sexual assault

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Jul, 2023 01:51 PM
  • B.C. government announces new programs, police standards for sexual assault

The British Columbia government is updating policing standards in response to sexual assaults to ensure more effective investigations and improved outcomes for survivors. 

The province also says it's committing to providing stable annual funding to 68 sexual assault programs across B.C., while it sets new standards for police to collaborate with victims services workers during investigations. 

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says survivors deserve to be treated fairly after going through trauma and shielded from further harm, and the new standards and programs will "empower" those people. 

The province says the funding for the new programs kicks in this month, while new policing standards coupling investigators with victims services workers will begin next year, applying to all B.C. police officers. 

The RCMP began a review of its sexual assault complaints after a Globe and Mail investigation in 2017 reported police classify an average one in five sexual assaults as unfounded, and since then it has reopened hundreds of files and laid dozens of charges. 

Farnworth says the new B.C. policing standards includes a review of closed cases, and will involve "supervisory oversight" of investigations to make sure officers are impartial and "trauma informed." 

The B.C. government says it now kicks in $54 million a year for crime victim support services and programs, more than 470 of which deal with violence against women and sexual assault victims.

MORE National ARTICLES

Armed robbery in Kelowna

Armed robbery in Kelowna
Mounties say the male suspect brandished a handgun during the robbery then quickly fled the area before officers arrived. Officers say they are actively searching for the suspect described as wearing a blue mask, blue jacket with brown hair and a slim build, clad in a Reebok hoodie that was blue on top and black at the bottom.

Armed robbery in Kelowna

Hot weather for this weekend

Hot weather for this weekend
Nelson saw the temperature hit 38.2 Celsius yesterday, breaking a record set back in 1938. Elsewhere, temperature records were set in McKenzie, Nakusp, Richmond and Smithers. Heat warnings are in place for the Okanagan, Thompson and Boundary regions.

Hot weather for this weekend

Nanaimo man dies after crash

Nanaimo man dies after crash
Police in Nanaimo say a 24-year-old man has died of his injuries after a crash with a suspected impaired driver.  Nanaimo R-C-M-P say the crash happened around 10 p-m on Wednesday, and the other driver remains in hospital. 

Nanaimo man dies after crash

Water consumption still high despite calls for water conservation

Water consumption still high despite calls for water conservation
The regional government says reservoir levels remain normal for the season, but water consumption is trending higher than the same time last year.  It says water consumption peaked on July 5th with 1.56 billion litres used, even though it wasn't a day designated for watering lawns. 

Water consumption still high despite calls for water conservation

B.C. firefighter numbers increase to more than 2,500, with 100 Brazilians here today

B.C. firefighter numbers increase to more than 2,500, with 100 Brazilians here today
BC Wildfire Service spokesman Cliff Chapman says about 500 international firefighters are already in B.C., boosting the ranks of the more than 2,000 provincial wildfire service personnel on the front lines battling hundreds of blazes.   

B.C. firefighter numbers increase to more than 2,500, with 100 Brazilians here today

Uncertainty at B.C. ports continues as possible deal emerges in labour dispute

Uncertainty at B.C. ports continues as possible deal emerges in labour dispute
A statement on the website of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada Local 502 says that a tentative agreement has been reached with the BC Maritime Employers Association, and the ILWU will hold an "emergency contract caucus" today to decide if the deal will be sent to the full union membership for ratification.

Uncertainty at B.C. ports continues as possible deal emerges in labour dispute