With the well-being of victims at heart, the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG), in collaboration with several partners, set up a review committee in December 2018 to review sexual assault files that have been classified as unfounded or unsolved*.

This review committee consists of professionals mandated by the SPVG who work for independent organizations in the judicial, community and health sectors, namely:

• Le Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP);
• The Director of Youth Protection (DYP)/Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l'Outaouais;
• Outaouais' Crime Victim Assistance Centres (CAVAC);
• Le Centre d'intervention en abus sexuels pour la famille (CIASF).

By mandating professionals specialized in sexual assault, the SPVG hopes to optimize police response to victims at every stage of the process, from the filing of a complaint to court proceedings. These professionals collaborate with the SPVG's major crime lieutenant-detectives and with the management of the enquêtes criminelles division.

The goal of this collaborative approach is to better supervise and support victims who decide to file a complaint, to foster victim confidence in police services and to encourage them to come forth. This pilot project is part of a process of continuous improvement of services offered to victims and the implementation of a victim-centred approach.

Are you a victim or plaintiff and would like a review of your case?

If you are a victim or a plaintiff wishing to have your file reviewed by the members of the review committee, you may request a review, provided that your file was processed during 2018 (or subsequently) and that it was classified as unfounded or unsolved by the SPVG. Your file must not have been submitted to the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) for review.

In order to do so, you need only write to the Police Service at cras@gatineau.ca. In your request, the following identification information is required:

• The case number in question, if known;
• The victim's full name and date of birth;
• A telephone number where we can reach you

A sampling of the applications for review received will be made and the applications selected will be submitted to the members of the review committee for consideration. A consent form must be signed by the victim or plaintiff to authorize the review of the file.

* The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) states that “a case is "unfounded" when it is determined after the police investigation that the reported offence did not occur and that there was no attempt to commit the offence. An unsolved case is a case that resulted in no charges being laid, and this for any reason. Reference: Statistics Canada 2017. New standards for reporting founded and unfounded cases in the UCR Survey.