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Calgary police link social media campaigns with rise in sex crime complaints

Mar 1, 2018 | 6:12 AM

CALGARY- Social media campaigns are leading to a rise in sex crime complaints.

Calgary Police Chief Roger Chaffin says they have lead to more people reporting sex crimes and he needs more detectives for investigations.

He says campaigns such as IBelieveYou, MeToo and TimesUp have raised awareness and more victims are seeking help.

Currently there are eight detectives in the Calgary police Sex Crimes Unit.

The force hopes to increase that number to 12 before the end of the year.

Police say they are dealing with more assaults.

The cases are also becoming more complex to investigate if they include DNA evidence and gathering data from the Internet and social media.

Danielle Aubery, C-E-O of Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse, an aid agency for the victims of sexual assault, says she’s seen a big increase in the number of calls.

Aubery says she never thought she would see such a trend and hiring more detectives for the unit is long overdue.

(The Canadian Press – CTV Calgary)