Examining the law enforcement response to complaints of sexual assault on a public transit system

Women’s safety on public transit systems is an important issue as women around the world typically make up a majority of a public transit system’s ridership, and women are more likely than men to depend on transit for their mobility. Fear while on public transit affects people from many walks of life, and factors that cause fear for many women on transit are poor lighting conditions, desolate stations, and a lack of presence by transit staff or police. The nature of a crowded transit environment also put women at risk of sexual assault. Such assaults are not always reported to the proper authorities. Some transit authorities have conducted public awareness campaigns about sexual harassment on transit while encouraging reporting. This paper examines the Metro Vancouver Transit Police’s response to reports of sexual assault by reviewing the 411 reported sexual assaults from 2013 through 2017. Key findings were that reported incidents reflected peak rush hour travel times, a suspect or person of interest was identified in over half of reported incidents, which coincided with a high rate of sexual assault reports to Crown Counsel.