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Police training to improve ‘Russian roulette’ sexual assault response
By Cloe Read and Nicole Precel
Queensland police will be the first in the country to receive new specialised sexual violence training after the service came under fire for its response to victims, with officers believing outdated rape myths.
Gold Coast Centre Against Sexual Violence will lead the program Start By Believing, which will train officers to improve their initial response to victims.
Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll last week conceded the language used by an officer investigating a rape complaint was inappropriate and admitted police should be more sensitive.
Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll.Credit: Michelle Smith
The officer had said a Gold Coast woman did “not appear upset or extensively dishevelled” after an alleged assault, raising questions over police response to victims and concerns over how many officers believe outdated rape myths.
The training is mirrored from a program taught to officers in the United States, tweaked to work with Queensland legislation, and for the first time will be the taught in Australia.
It will focus on the different ways trauma can present in a victim, ensuring officers do not have a typical idea of how someone presents after an assault.
The centre’s director, Di Macleod, said Queensland Police hoped to roll out the training, which will begin as a pilot program in June, to all officers in the south-east region.
Ms Macleod said typically sexual assault victims were deterred after an incident when their first point of contact, either with friends or family, or police, was met with negative responses.
She said if a victim was asked “why” questions – such as “why did you go home with him?” or “why did you not leave?” – the withdrawal rate of victims progressing with complaints was significantly higher.
Gold Coast Service Against Sexual Violence director Di Macleod.
“If the police start from the point of believing the victim when they phone or turn up to the police station, the victim can sense that straight away, as someone believing them, they are much more likely to engage with them,” she said.
Ms Macleod said when most women reported sexual violence to the police, they wanted to see justice served, but for majority of people that was not the result.
“Of every 100 cases (of alleged sexual violence) reported to police, 80 per cent fall out before the person even gets to be charged,” she said.
“Only 20 per cent of those reports to police even result in someone being charged.”
Author and legal researcher Bri Lee, who has been campaigning for changes to consent laws in Queensland, likened reporting sexual assault or domestic violence to Queensland police as “Russian roulette”.
“Call the cops or walk into a station, and you could get an amazing officer or you could get a terrible officer,” she said.
Ms Lee said not only does there need to be more consistent training for Queensland Police in how to respond to these reports, they also need a cultural shift.
About a year ago she found there was a backlog of officers who wanted to do a specialist course for sex crime matters, which she said, highlighted a range of problems.
Bri Lee.Credit: James Brickwood
The first being the “absurdity” that more officers were wanting better training in this area but the service wasn’t providing it.
“The other bigger problem is that, as you can imagine, the officers with ‘problem’ attitudes towards women and sex crime are not the officers who are likely to be volunteering for further training,” she said.
“Until it’s mandatory for fully comprehensive, trauma-informed, gender-informed training for all new recruits and refreshers for currently serving officers, it won’t be enough.”
Gold Coast Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman said the training would enhance soft skills and communication skills of officers to improve how police deal with victims of crime.
“It’s our first responders – they’re the frontline staff who deal with victims straight up and that first interaction with their victims is absolutely crucial,” he said.
“Every victim will present differently...we need to make sure that our officers are attuned to each individual and deal with the individual on their own merits.”
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact 1800RESPECT, the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service, on 1800 737 732.
Lifeline on 13 11 14
Women’s Crisis Line on 1800 811 811
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467