REGINA — The Regina Police Service is the latest agency in Canada to pilot a program that allows sexual assault cases to be reviewed by outside experts.
The service says it will be trying the program first used in Philadelphia that allows external advocates to help police review sexual assault and abuse cases to ensure investigations are thorough and correctly classified.
Regina police Chief Evan Bray says the expert group will be reviewing current cases in which charges have not been laid.
He believes the program will improve police accountability and transparency within the community.
"It's going to make our police service better and that will translate into better investigations," he said Monday.
Cases that were initially classified as unfounded have been reopened in other Canadian cities where the Philadelphia model exists.
Last summer, Calgary police announced they would begin reviewing case files using the same approach and said they were the first agency in Canada to adopt the model.
The Saskatchewan government is funding Regina's program and Bray said he wants it to become a fixture.
The service plans to train with a Canadian expert on the Philadelphia model and start the 17-month pilot this summer.
Lisa Miller, executive director of the Regina Sexual Assault Centre, said Saskatchewan has high rates of sexual violence. She believes the program will help identify barriers that exist for people reporting assaults and help their files move forward.
There is a range of reasons why people don't report, she said. Some people are concerned about reporting assaults because they don't want others to find out. Others have had negative past involvement with police.
Miller will be among the advocates doing quarterly reviews of police files, which include taped interviews and notes.
She said criteria to be used to assess cases are still being worked out.