Women in Crisis, police work together so everyone can feel safe

Timmins Police Chief John Gauthier told Timmins Police Services Board yesterday, that he had met with members of Timmins and Area Women in Crisis, and agreed to work together to ensure that all complaints brought to the police by women are treated with all due courtesy, respect and seriousness.

“I want to assure the board and members of the public,” said Chief Gauthier. “Timmins police takes the protection and safety of all our citizens seriously. “

Chief Gauthier and Deputy Chief Des Walsh, addressing a Globe and Mail investigative series, acknowledged representatives of Timmins and Area Women in Crisis approached them on Wednesday and requested a meeting.

“The outcome of which is the establishment of a Police-Community working group to ensure that societal barriers that may exist within Police Department are identified and police receive training to beware; and overcome these barriers during investigations,” said Deputy Chief Walsh.

But Police Chief Gauthier said there was more that Timmins police would do to make sure this misperception was corrected.

“I have also assigned, Inspector Richard Blanchette to review the cases that were categorized as "unfounded," Chief Gauthier told the board.

Gauthier explained, he had problems with how the reporters reported their findings.

“I can not speak for all forces across Canada, and how they define “unfounded,” said Gauthier. “I know in Timmins all complaints are investigated to see if the law was broken. Where it was broken we discuss the case with the Crown Attorney’s Office.”

“Timmins police never dismiss a complaint as being unworthy of investigation, no matter who brings the information to us,” Gauthier said.

Marc Depatie, Police Communications Coordinator interjected said, there may be a situation where a case is closed because no law has been broken.

“For example, a parent is dismayed their 16-year-old is having sex with a 22-year-old male and reports it to police,” said Depatie.

“Unfortunately, the age of consent is 16 years of age,” Depatie explained. “No matter how justified the parents are to be concerned, we cannot act because no law has been broken.”

Gauthier explained the Globe and Mail investigative team asked for reports filed by clerical staff on statistical information based on the number of cases that were handled; the number of cases that proceeded to court; and the number of cases that did not have sufficient evidence to proceed to charges and trial.

“My concern with the Globe and Mail article is that it gives the impression that officers dismiss cases immediately after talking with a complainant, and that is the farthest from the truth in Timmins,” Gauthier said.

“There are so many layers of accountability with our police force, that it is impossible for a single officer to decide on their own whether or not to take a complaint seriously,” said Police Chief Gauthier.

“In Timmins when our clerk checks off the unfounded category, it means that an investigation has occurred, but there was insufficient evidence to proceed,” Gauthier explained. “In all cases we consulted with the crown attorney before deciding we had insufficient evidence to go to trial.”

Also, though a case has been closed, anyone has the right to come back with additional evidence to re-open a case that had been previously been checked off as unfounded.

According to Chief Gauthier, the seemingly a large figure of 30 per cent “unfounded” attributed by the Globe and Mail actually referred to 27 cases out of 80 over the five years that the Globe investigated.

“That means that the Timmins Police force’s investigation resulted in 53 trials or 70 per cent rate of investigations leading to charges and trials,” said Gauthier.

Gauthier said Timmins Police was contacted by the Globe and Mail via email requesting access to various police records on complaints, charges and cases gone to trial.

During a media scrum after the Timmins Police Board meeting concluded, Gauthier said that the two Globe and Mail reporters never requested a telephone, or in person interview with him to verify and clarify what the raw data from Timmins police meant.

On Wednesday, the day before Police Chief John Gauthier’s statement to the Timmins Police Services Board, Timmins and Area Women in Crisis issued a statement saying they had met with Timmins Police and agreed to work together to make sure every person in Timmins feels they are given all due respect and their allegations to police are investigated thoroughly regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual preference and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Women in Crisis representatives expressed concern to the Timmins Police Service about possible societal and cultural barriers that may affect the way officers treat some women who lodge a complaint.

“The working group that we formed and will unfolded over the next several weeks will look at police sensitivity to these societal and cultural barriers identified by TAWS during our meeting on Wednesday,” said Deputy Chief Des Walsh.

Despite the criticism both Chief Gauthier and Deputy Chief Walsh had about some elements of the Globe and Mail report on unfounded cases, they both agreed that the series has created a great opportunity to work with organizations such as the Timmins Area Women in Crisis, Centre Passerelle and other women’s organizations, to review how police handles all complaints, and to help make all residents of Timmins feel safe in their community.