By BRENDAN MILLER on November 21, 2024.

Members of the Medicine Hat Police Family Crime Unit provided the police commission with an update Wednesday, noting that the unit investigated 94 cases and conducted 66 forensic interviews of children in 2023.–NEWS FILE PHOTO

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Police commission members heard Wednesday that in 2023, the Medicine Hat Police Family Crimes Unit handled 94 cases involving children, resulting in 21 charges. The commission received a 30-minute presentation about the small unit that works with the Criminal Investigation Division and collaborates with Child and Family Services to investigate matters involving children. “Many of the calls that the Family Crimes Unit handles do not come through traditional methods, 911 or the non-emergency line,” explained Insp. Joe West. “It could come through victim assistance, it comes in a number of ways.” Sgt. Darryl Hubich, who heads the Family Crimes Unit, explained the need for specialized forensic training when interviewing children and told the commission that all members of the Medicine Hat unit have been trained to conduct forensic interviews of children by the National Child Support Center in Alabama. In 2023, the unit conducted 66 forensic interviews of children using a method recognized by the courts, if properly conducted. The video of the interview can be introduced in court as the child’s statement. This can reduce or eliminate the need for a child to testify in person in court. Hubich explained that it’s extremely important that the children feel comfortable enough to tell officers their story, made easier thanks to two service dogs, Athena and Glory. “Generally, there’s a lot of relief … when a kid sees a dog, we tend to bring the dogs with us to the interviews,” Hubich said. In January 2023, the police service began conducting all forensic interviews of children at the Sanare Centre, which runs a children’s advocacy center to provide a safe space supported by carers of children and young people experiencing trauma. “They fill the gap between the interview and the conclusion of any criminal matter,” Hubich said. “They can provide counseling, programming, support with the community, things like that that we couldn’t provide before strictly through the police service. “From my point of view, it was actually worth having that relationship. We all go into this work with the same goal and we want to make sure that what we do at the beginning is picked up and continued throughout. Just because a victim may have been victimized once doesn’t mean they’re only dealt with when charges are filed, so that’s very important to support that.” Hubich says the number of cases received by the Family Crimes Unit has been relatively static since 2022, and he does not believe 2024 has seen a large increase in caseloads. 13
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