Victim Services Co-ordinator Alice Czitrom and Facility Dog Pixie.
The Victim Services Unit
Two civilian Co-ordinators share the responsibilities in this unit. They perform their duties separately, but collaboratively with police, solely for the support of the victims of crime and tragic circumstances.
The duties of the Victim Services Unit include:
- Providing emotional and practical support to victims.
- Providing information and support through the criminal justice system.
- Providing Information and referrals to community agencies.
- Advocating for victims of crime, individually and collectively.
- Offering professional community presentations.
Please visit the Survivor Toolkit website for information and resources for survivors of sexual violence and the people who are supporting them.
For more information or to speak to a member in our Victim Services Unit please call 705-876-1122 ext. 268.
2020 Overview:
The Victim Services Unit (VSU) continues to deliver trauma-informed services to those affected by crime or tragic and unforeseen circumstances. This year, Victim Services wanted to enhance what resources and tools they have to support children who interact with police, with the understanding that typically children who find themselves at the police station have experienced some form of trauma. As a result, Victim Services purchased and organized two resource bins filled with objects designed to support safe emotional expression and healthy distractions for when they are interacting with officers.
In 2020, the Unit welcomed a new member, an accredited facility dog named Pixie, who came fully certified and trained by National Service Dogs. Pixie works alongside the Victim Services Unit assisting with victim interviews, Crown meetings, on-scene de-escalation, critical incident debriefs and general peer morale in the police station. In 2020, the facility dog was used 29 times for video interviews with a victim, attended 3 times on-scene with police, supported members during 3 critical incident debriefs, attended court 5 times, and participated in 23 presentations including platoon briefings and school engagement opportunities.
Victim Services continued to provide in person meetings and follow up for victims and their families, with new safety measures in place and by following public health guidelines. Victim Services assisted on 20 occasions on scene with uniform members to provide emotional and practical support to those impacted by crime or tragic circumstances ranging from sudden deaths to human trafficking.
Daily staff receive, review, assess and follow up when required with mandated cases. In 2020, Victim Services received and reviewed 2885 incidents. Of those, 1167 incidents required follow-up. This consists of a phone interview, in person interview and/or referrals to provide adequate and appropriate emotional and practical support to victims of crime and tragic circumstance. In 2020 the VSU encountered many domestic incidents involving custody disputes with families looking for guidance on how to navigate issues during the pandemic lockdown. Additionally, VSU was involved in a pilot project to follow-up with calls for service involving suspected overdose deaths and provide support to grieving families and friends.
In 2020, Victim Services received 183 victim impact statement requests from the Crown Attorney’s Office and assisted in the completion of 102 of them. Since the introduction of the Victims Bill of Rights, the Unit has found a rise in requests from the Crown Attorney’s Office which has resulted in the completion of many more Victim Impact Statements. This is a steady increase from previous years.
Between the two staff members, Victim Services is represented on 12 different professional committees in the community. 2020 saw new memberships with the Police Association of Ontario (PAO) Mental Health and Wellness Committee, the local Overdose Bereavement Working Group and Justice Facility Dogs Canada.