(Credit: London Police Service)
The London Police Services Board met virtually and provided an update on a number of crucial topics relevant to the city. The meeting was attended by police officials, along with Mayor Ed Holder and Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Helmer.
Deputy Chief Patricia McIntyre gave insight into London in terms of sexual assault cases, declaring 436 new incidents. Slighty more than 200 of these are currently worthy of review, but are being backlogged as a result of the pandemic. COVID-19 related restrictions such as being unable to meet face-to-face were cited as being the main reason so many cases are currently not being reviewed.
Numerous individuals in the call, including Councilor Jesse Helmer stressed the importance of getting ahead of this backlog at risk of cases continuing to pile up and overwhelm police services.
Mayor Ed Holder questioned Deputy Chief Patricia McIntyre on the process of reporting sexual assaults, and what power police have if a victim refuses to press charges.
“If a victim comes forward and reports a sexual assault, and at any point during the investigation they decide not to press charges, London Police do not. You often see a report being filed, evidence retained, yet we do not move forward with a conviction. This really puts the power in the hands of the victim.” said McIntyre.
Deputy Chief McIntyre concluded by mentioning how crucial it is to carry out sexual assault investigations in an understanding and respectful manner.
“In every single case, there is victim support, and that is our goal. We constantly thrive to improve our response to these investigations.”
The meeting then moved to a discussion stressing the importance of crime analysts within London Police. Currently, these analysts are working directly with investigators and foot patrols. It has been found this is crucial in understanding where crimes are occurring, who is committing them, and areas police should have a more significant presence in.
“We see them directly imbedded in our general investigations, directly tied to the front line which is so critical in what we do.” said McIntrye on crime analysts.
The final item on the agenda looked at the freedom of information requests the London Police Service has seen in the past year. There was a significant drop, which Deputy Chief Stuart Betts explained.
“It could be a well of things, including peoples employment, where they would need these documents. We saw significant drops in background checks for example, and volunteer work dropped significantly.”
Background checks make up a significant portion of information requests. These are often needed while applying for jobs, many being forced into unemployment during the pandemic, or even to coach a youth sports team, athletics also restricted due to COVID-19.
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