Community Coordination

Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a serious crime often resulting in major physical or psychological injury. Under-reporting of sexual offences to police  remains a critical issue. In British Columbia, Third Party Reporting (TPR) of sexual assault is a process which allows adult survivors (19 and over) to access supports and to report details of sexual assault to police anonymously through a Community Based Victim Services or other designated program.  

TPR is an option for survivors who would not otherwise provide information to the police. It is not a substitute for a call to 911, nor is it in and of itself a police investigation. It is not to be used when the survivor or others are at risk of further violence, in cases where a child may be in need of protection, in cases where the sexual assault has occurred in the context of intimate partner violence or where the offender is a police officer. TPR connects survivors to specialized supports, gives survivors needed time to decide if and when they are ready to engage the criminal justice system, and provides police with critical information about sex crime patterns within and across police jurisdictions.

Third Party Reporting of Sexual Assault: The British Columbia Protocol

The BC TPR protocol is led by EVA BC’s Community Coordination for Survivor Safety (CCSS) program, which supports CBVS and police to develop local interagency protocols and to implement and maintain the TPR protocol. The TPR Protocol is guided by a provincial TPR Work Team comprised of EVA BC/CCSS, BC Association of Chiefs of Police, RCMP “E” Division, Vancouver Police Department Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit, BC Association of Municipal Chiefs of Police, and BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.

Contact

If you have any questions about TPR, please contact Wendy Potter by email: potter@endingviolence.org

Have a question? We may have answered it on the Common Questions page.