In the same week of June 2016, we, Catherine Francioli, and Hanna* (named changed for anonymity), were sexually assaulted in separate, random attacks on the streets of East Vancouver. Though the attacks were unrelated and perpetrated by different men, our shared experience was the disappointing actions and inadequacies of our Vancouver Police Department. An experience so disheartening and demeaning that we began to understand why the conviction rate is only 2.9%.
Our stories are two out the 454 sexual assaults reported in 2016. There were 461 reported in 2017. Sexual assault is not going away. Please read our individual stories to see why we as a city need to better prioritize our Sex Crime Unit to deal with such a prevalent crime in Vancouver.
On April 26, 2018, the Vancouver Police Board and Mayor Gregor Robertson will be reviewing our complaint. There are many ways to be an active
supporter, visit the How to Help section to get involved!
reccomendations for change
1. Increased budget and staffing for the sex crime unit commensurate with the number of annually reported incidents
2. Increased proportion of female staff within the sex crime unit
3. Specialized training for all staff in the VPD sex crime unit to ensure that victims are treated with empathy, care and respect
4. Improvements to the transparency and accountability of the sex crimes unit
5. Improved effectiveness and accountability of the complaint process
6. Additional funding for more lab space and staffing to allow local and timely forensic processing here in the lower mainland