Madam Chair and members of the committee, thank you very much for the opportunity to come and speak with you today.
As indicated, my name is Brenda Butterworth-Carr. I have approximately 24 years with the RCMP, and I'm currently the director general of the national aboriginal policing and crime prevention services.
The RCMP recognizes that elder abuse is an unfortunate reality in our society. With an increasing aging population, this issue is and will continue to be a focus of our organization.
What are we doing about it?
In 2008, the Government of Canada announced the RCMP's national crime prevention services as a partner in the federal elder abuse initiative.
The RCMP coordinates activities in support of this initiative in three important ways: one, developing prevention, public awareness, and internal police awareness programs; two, conducting research, needs assessments, and environmental scans; and three, identifying tools, information, resources, and best practices to enhance our police tool box, which assists our officers in dealing with elder abuse.
At the national level, the RCMP also provides support to RCMP divisions across Canada.
The RCMP has over 750 detachments, and it is our members at the local level who conduct investigations into reports of elder abuse in our communities. They also carry out elder abuse awareness initiatives pursuant to the RCMP's crime prevention mandate. The following are a few examples of what is carried out at the divisional level.
In Newfoundland, they partnered with the local seniors resource centre, health care agencies, and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to develop a publication titled, Looking Beyond the Hurt: A Service Provider's Guide to Elder Abuse. The guide informs professionals on the dynamics of elder abuse as well as the support and services available within the community.
In Manitoba, the RCMP collaborated with the Winnipeg Police Service and partner agencies to develop the "It's Everybody's Business" video, which is designed to get the word out that the prevention of elder abuse really is everybody's business. Manitoba RCMP also partnered with seniors and students to develop the Seniors are Cool program. The program promotes discussion with students on issues such as abuse and neglect and focuses on what students can do to promote respect for older adults.
Within the Yukon Territory, the RCMP created a family violence manual that includes information on the many forms of elder abuse, such as psychological, financial, and sexual abuse, as well as various forms of neglect.
While the RCMP takes great strides to promote elder abuse awareness and prevention, we recognize that we simply cannot do it alone. We stress the importance of establishing networks and/or formal partnerships with external community partners that can assist us in conducting research on elder abuse and delivering prevention and awareness programs.
I'll take a moment to highlight two such partnerships.
In 2009, the RCMP was one of three partners in a national project entitled, “Seniors Learning and Knowledge Exchange Program: A National Senior Abuse Response/Prevention Project”. The RCMP elder abuse coordinator was the lead police representative for the project. Upon completion of the project, the RCMP then initiated dialogue with other specialized senior abuse units within seven other partnering police agencies.
The RCMP is partnering with the National Institute for the Care of the Elderly, also known as NICE. NICE is a non-government agency made up of an international network of researchers, practitioners, students, and seniors dedicated to improving the care of older adults in Canada and abroad. The RCMP has reviewed and approved three tools developed by NICE for distribution to front-line RCMP officers across the country. They include: the Elder Abuse Assessment and Intervention Reference Guide; the Resources for Older Women guidebook; and the officers' investigation guide, Theft by Persons Holding Power of Attorney.
In addition to the programs and initiatives I have touched on, both the RCMP's internal and external national websites host information dedicated to the general awareness of the forms, signs, and impact of elder abuse. We also prominently feature information on elder abuse during Elder Abuse Awareness Day in June of each year.
The RCMP national crime prevention services have also developed the Seniors' Guidebook to Safety and Security, which you have all received a copy of today. The publication was recently updated to include more in-depth information on the subject of elder abuse, and it will be going to print shortly.
While the list of initiatives l have touched on today is not exhaustive, l hope it has given you some insight into the importance the RCMP places on the issue of elder abuse.
l thank you again for inviting me here. l look forward to answering your questions.