Sexual crimes on the rise

Gatineau police report new crime trends

One message in the April 5th report by the director of Gatineau’s police (SPVG) on its 2015 activities was that the criminal world continuously changes.

While crimes such as break-ins and vehicle thefts decreased significantly in 2015, by 22% and 37% respectively, new types of crime such as identity fraud increased (170 in 2015 and 124 in 2014). “Identity fraud is certainly an issue for the SPVG”, stressed Chief Mario Harel.

This new reality is also apparent in crimes of a sexual nature, which increased by 40% in Gatineau between 2014 and 2015. This includes all crimes of a sexual nature, including voyeurism and cybercrime, like the sharing of intimate images. The SPVG has added investigators to address this crime front.

“Our analysis points out that these (sexual) incidents are isolated from one another. We have also observed an increase in the number of accusations of sexual assault that had occurred in previous years. So, the number of sexual assaults that took place during 2015 is within the past three years’ average. I hope that this statistic indicates that the victims are now more inclined to face their aggressors and break their silence. I encourage victims to do so,” declared the chief.  

“Sextorsion” is another new crime faced by local police in 2015. This is a computer scam linked to using images or videos of a sexual nature that were taken without the victim’s awareness, a modern form of blackmail. Thus, the fraudsters, who live outside the country, threaten to publish the images of the victim unless they are paid off in money or favours.

Following many complaints, the SPVG launched a prevention campaign to encourage victims to identify their aggressors. The campaign was awarded several prizes. One, the Plume d’Or of the Association des consommateurs du Québec, recognizes a City’s efforts in aided public awareness.