The Saint John Police Force headquarters. (Staff photo)
While the number of sexual assault cases deemed “unfounded” by city police has dropped, new statistics have revealed other trends some residents view as troubling.
A 2017 report on sexual assault investigations in Canada by the Globe and Mail found that Saint John had the highest national rate with 51 per cent of cases deemed “unfounded”. Last month, police chief Stephan Drolet issued a statement which said that number had dropped below 15 per cent in recent years.
Caitlin Grogan, a student at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, wanted to see what had changed in order to improve the force’s numbers so drastically.
Grogan issued a request for information for updated sexual assault statistics. While the “unfounded” rate has dropped significantly, she says there doesn’t seem to be an increase in the number of sexual assault cases being solved.
“(Drolet’s June statement) didn’t tell the rest of the story, and I think this data here raises a lot more questions than people had initially,” Grogan said.
After receiving the information, Grogan was left wondering why the number of cases marked as victims requesting no action was rose significantly from 2015 to 2019.
“Researchers say that’s pretty much a direct relationship to people’s confidence in the system,” she said.
She believes sexual assault victims in the city simply don’t have faith that police can bring their attackers to justice, or that they felt pressured to discontinue their claim.
In 2019, Saint John police cleared just 12 per cent of sexual assault allegations with charges, down from 17 per cent in 2018 and 24 per cent in 2017, according to information shared with our newsroom.
Police spokesperson Jim Hennessey responded to a request for an interview by repeating the words of Chief Drolet from a tweet in mid-June.
“Sexual assault is a crime the SJPF takes seriously and will have more to say on the steps we’ve taken since 2017 and will continue to take,” Hennessey wrote via e-mail. “The SJPF invites continued dialogue about this important issue.”
Sexual assault is a crime we take seriously, and will have more to say on the steps we’ve taken since 2017 and will continue to take in the days to come.
In the meantime, I invite continued dialogue about this important issue. Thank you! 2/2@saintjohnpolice
— Chief Stephan Drolet (@ChiefSJPF) June 11, 2020
Grogan said she is troubled by several other numbers included in the information she received, including one case which was cleared as “diplomatic immunity,” and the fact that 29 per cent of sexual assault cases reported in 2015 still remain active cases.
“I think everyone would like to hear those cases are still being actively pursued, but I don’t think anyone believes that’s the reality,” Grogan said.
Moving forward, she would like to see more accountability from city police.
“I do think the first step from the police force should be to at least acknowledge that these numbers don’t look good. … The initial statement was quick to say ‘we have substantially improved,’ but this doesn’t look like an improvement to anyone.”
