44% jump in reported sexual assaults in Waterloo region

Waterloo regional police received 44 per cent more reports of sexual assaults in 2017 compared to2016, according to new numbers released by Statistics Canada Monday.

While the number is significant, Police Chief Bryan Larkin said it could be a sign of positive change, rather than a reason to panic.

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"I think as a community, as a province, that's the one crime trend number that we should actually look at and say, 'Okay, we're actually making a difference'," Larkin told CBC News.

He said an increase in reports of sexual assault doesn't necessarily indicate more sexual violence is taking place, it could simply indicate more people are reporting what is happening to police.

'Flooded with calls for support'

That sentiment was echoed by Sara Casselman, executive director of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, who said victims of sexual assault have shown an increased interest in talking about their experiences over the past year.

"We have been flooded with calls for support like no other time in our history," she said. "It's on folk's radar like it's never been before. There's more dialogue, more people are speaking about it."

How do we get better at investigating sexual assaults? How do we support victim survivors? How do we build trust and confidence?- Bryan Larkin, Police Chief, Waterloo Region Police Service

It particular, Casselman said the #MeToo movement has made an impact in Waterloo region, encouraging victims of sexual assault to speak out.

Since the hashtag became popular last fall, she said her agency's waitlist for counselling has doubled.

The number of sexual assault reports is up across the country, but the increase in Waterloo region is significantly higherand one of the highest in the country. Nationally the increase is 13 per cent. The largest increases were in Brantford and Kingston, which both recorded 56 per cent increases.

The large jump in reported sexual assaults means that for 2017, Waterloo's rate per 100,000 population had matched the national rate.

Police and community agencies agree that more needs to be done to support victims of sexual assault, especially those who come forward to report the crime.

Larkin said the police service is asking: "How do we get better at investigating sexual assaults? How do we support victim survivors? How do we build trust and confidence?"

Waterloo regional police also recently accepted 11 recommendations made in a report by the region's Sexual Assault Task Force, which reviewed 78 cases of sexual assault that had been recorded as unfounded by police.

43% increase in Guelph

Waterloo region wasn't the only area to see a jump in the number of reported sexual assaults. In Guelph, police saw a 43 per cent jump in reported sexual assaults in the same time period.

Again, Police Chief Jeff DeRuyter alsoattributes the increase to more people reporting, rather than an increase in crime.

"Certainly that is a positive thing," he told CBC News. "And certainly we do encourage those that are the victims of sexual assaults to continue to report."

He said the police service has been working to improve the way they respond to and investigate reports of sexual violence, adopting a trauma-informed model of investigation.