The St. Stephen RCMP has partnered with The Willow Centre to provide a safe interview space for victims of sexual and intimate partner violence.
Sam Gullison is the program director at the centre, said it is modelled after places like Kit’s Place in Saint John.
“It was important for a multitude of reasons,” she said, speaking with The Courier. “We wanted to make sure that we were keeping the survivor at the centre of our support and our service.”
She said working with the RCMP is part of an overall effort to reduce barriers for those seeking support.
“By working together, we’re able to provide some wrap-around care and support and warm transfers of service,” she said.
The new room will provide a safe, comfortable and trauma-informed space for victims to be interviewed by police.
Earlier this year, a member of the St. Stephen RCMP worked with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for a charity hockey game to raise money for The Willow Centre.
Teams were able to raise $7,000 to advance the project and support victims of intimate and sexual violence.
“Our objective is to have an interview room,” Sgt. Pierre Ladouceur said. “That’s what we used to call a soft interview, which [is] trauma-informed but also provides access to local services in a timely fashion.”
Ladouceur said crimes that involve intimate or sexual violence can mean that people can face barriers to reporting crime.
“I think both [the RCMP] and the community will benefit from sharing such a partnership,” he said.
He said knowing how connected The Willow Centre is to the community helps ensure people in need are in the right location and can access the right services
“Our job as officers and investigations is to do the investigation, but we also need to take care of our people and we support victims through the whole process that we know can be tough on victims,” Ladouceur said.
The space is now available to investigators, and members of the local RCMP have been able to familiarize themselves with the interview room.
Both Ladouceur and Gullison are pleased to have the space available.
“It’s important because we also know that trauma impacts the brain,” Gullison said. I’m not a trauma expert, but what I can say when people experience a traumatic event that can really have an impact on their memory recall.” “Not only does [the interview space] support the survivor or the victim, but it helps support the interviews themselves by making survivors feel safe and calm in an environment where their anxiety and fear can be reduced.”
