The BC RCMP is issuing yet another statement to clarify concerns circulating on social media about women missing across the province.
Mounties have been criticized for their approach to dispel the viral social media posts that claim someone in a white van was chasing women, and trying to abduct them.
“We have heard from members of the public, elected officials and from some of our stakeholders who have expressed deep concern about the language used by the BC RCMP,” a statement from the RCMP reads.
Over the weekend Angela Marie MacDougall, executive director of Battered Women’s Support Services, told NEWS 1130 the RCMP’s initial response minimized the fear and experiences of vulnerable people.
“[The RCMP] have missed a big part of what I think is an important piece of what they can be doing as an organization that exists to promote public safety. They should not ignore the reality that there is sufficient amounts of stranger sexualized violence,” MacDougall said.
In the first news release issued Saturday, Mounties in Coquitlam urged everyone to stop sharing the social media posts, asked people not to carry weapons, and, “Don’t try to draw conclusions about crimes based on very basic information.”
“We regret that this has caused anger and has upset people. In no way, was it meant to be disrespectful or dismissive of the public’s concern,” an updated response from the RCMP reads. “We are fully aware that we used language that upset some of the people we serve.”
But, the Mounties are also trying to reassure the public there is nothing to indicate that people are being abducted, nor is there an increase in reported cases.
The statement goes on to read, “There is also nothing to indicate any links in recent missing person cases identified in Port Moody, Chilliwack or other areas of the province. The circumstances in each investigation are different.”
The RCMP points to the Real Time Intelligence Centre British Columbia (RTIC-BC), which it says has a mandate to review and identify links and trends in criminal activity throughout the province.
The release says there have been three recent files in which people said they were followed by a white van, but, there was no other interaction.
A fourth file confirms that one male was forced into a white paneled van, but it is still under investigation.
“Of note, four of the files which reported a white van in their neighbourhoods, reported it after seeing similar posts on social media. No links, trends or increases in missing persons was identified,” the statement reads.
Every year Mounties receive about 20,000 missing persons reports but about one per cent of those people remain missing at the end of the year. Most are located within seven days.
According to MacDougall, stranger rape is the least common type of sexualized violence, and that most violent sexual crimes happen between acquaintances, friends or family.
2018 data from the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains show there were 15 cases in all of Canada of an adult female being abducted by a stranger that year. More recent data is not available.
