ANGUILLA — In order to improve the service the Royal Anguilla Police Force provides to victims/survivors of these very terrible offences and encourage them to come forward and report the RAPF have introduced new arrangements intended to deal with the initial reporting in a more sensitive and confidential way.
These types of crimes often cause emotional, physical, and social problems for the victim/survivor and reporting these crimes can also be traumatic as many involve persons known to the victim/survivor and their family. In order to support those affected by these crimes we have introduced the following procedures:
1. When a report is made either at the station or via the telephone once the initial report is identified as involving sexual offences or child exploitation then the report will be passed immediately to the Safeguarding Investigation Unit (SIU). These officers have been trained in investigating these matters and are all now bound by confidentiality agreements.
2. The officer who took the initial report will not enquire into the matter unless they are part of the SIU.
3. No open record will be made of any report of this nature. The recording of the matter will be undertaken by the SIU and undertaken on a new process which restricts access to the record.
4. Victims/survivors reporting at the station will be taken to a private room and are not expected to remain in the station lobby.
5. Only trained SIU officers will deal with the victim/ survivors and the victim/survivor is encouraged not to disclose any details until they are in a safe environment and with an SIU officer.
6. Victims/survivors can also elect to speak directly with an SIU officer in the first instance if they would find this less traumatic for them.
We hope by providing a more secure and confidential reporting process victims/survivors will be encouraged to report so that these matters can be properly and ethically investigated without exposing the victim/survivor to an even more traumatic experience.
Child exploitation is the act of using a minor child for profit, labor, sexual gratification, or some other personal or financial advantage. Child exploitation often results in cruel or harmful treatment of the child. They are referred to as survivors given the impact of such activities can have long term detrimental harm to the social development and potential attainment of the child involved.
