It has been more than five years since a female Vancouver police officer was sexually assaulted by a fellow officer.
We can’t identify her due to a court-ordered publication ban, but she is speaking out after receiving the results of a Police Act investigation.
In 2021, VPD Const. Jagraj Roger Berar was convicted and sentenced to a year in jail for the assault.
Later, the female officer learned a colleague inside the courtroom had sent derogatory text messages about her and her testimony. The texts were then shared in group chats.
“I can tell you where I bawled my eyes eye when they were read to me,” the survivor told Global News.
“I can tell you where I first wrote them down, they were that impactful.”
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Now, following an investigation, Sgt. Narinder Dosanjh is deemed to have committed discreditable conduct.
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Former New Westminster Police Chief Dave Jansen, who was the discipline authority for the investigation, found the text messages were “not respectful or in any way supportive of a victim … who is also a fellow VPD member … the comments appear to be more supportive of the accused police officer.”
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Sgt. Dosanjh, now an officer with Surrey Police Service, is due to get a written reprimand and must do at least eight hours of respectful workplace training.
The survivor called the penalty a joke.
“I think he should have been dismissed,” she said.
In his 18-page report, Jansen also states, “I am familiar with the unfortunate but often pervasive negative view of police officers who report misconduct by other police officers being treated as ‘rats,’ who betrayed their colleagues.”
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The survivor left her career with VPD, but continues to work as a police officer for another agency.
She said she refuses to walk away, “Because it’s a job that I’ve wanted since I was a kid.”
“I refuse to give up my career because I was the victim of a crime,” she added.
