Fourth, our relationship with aboriginal associations provides opportunities to speak with a unified voice on issues of concern that we all share, and bring consistent messages to our own communities.
As police, we provide more effective front-line responses when we are open to constructive change and are in tune with those who represent the priorities of aboriginal women. For example, we maintain a close working relationship with the Assembly of First Nations, which has identified violence against girls and women as one of its policy priorities. We are connected to the Native Women's Association of Canada, dedicated to the advancement and well-being of aboriginal girls and women through ongoing communication. I was able to present my police services' response to violence at their April 2013 national forum on community safety and ending violence in Edmonton.
The Native Women's Association's initiative, Sisters in Spirit, is one that the FNCPA is linked to because of its focus on ending violence against aboriginal women and its interest in police training and awareness around the issue of missing women and girls.
Keep in mind that the first nations police association is national and it has no authority over the operational practices of police services. However, we're able to serve individual communities through the resources we provide to our members. These include linkages with other associations, ongoing learning opportunities, information sharing on effective and promising policies and front-line practices, and a mechanism for consensus on the national priorities of Canada's first nations.
I'll conclude by referring back to the key point in the Statistics Canada report cited earlier. Most aboriginal women do not report to police when they are victimized. It is a point that also emerges in the work of the Sisters in Spirit and questions around the number of aboriginal women who are victims of violence.
Our message to women and girls in our communities and those around them is to bring incidents of threats and of violence to the attention of the police. Front-line police actions after the fact do not address the conditions that contribute to the crime, but the police response is a necessary part of the community's response to those who are victims of violence.
Thank you. We would be happy to take your questions.