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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Kelli Hinchey said she remembers feeling pain, then waking to a man fleeing out her bedroom door.

Kelli Hinchey, a resident of Yellowknife for 44 years, is concerned about the spread of crime and sexual violence from downtown to suburban neighbourhoods. - Daniel Campbell/NNSL photo

New sexual assault reported at Somba K'e Park A woman recently reported being sexually assaulted at Somba K'e Park. The assault took place around 2 p.m. on Sept. 7, but wasn't reported to RCMP until Sept. 20. The woman said an intoxicated male approached her from behind while she was sitting on a swing. He reached around her and tried to touch her chest. After yelling and pushing the man away, a friend of the perpetrator also yelled for him to leave. Both left, walking toward downtown. The man is described as aboriginal, 30 to 35 years old with a round face, shaggy, slightly curly hair, clean shaven and wearing a white T-shirt with blue jeans. The woman reported there were other people in the park who may have witnessed the assault. RCMP is continuing its investigation and ask anyone with information to call Yellowknife RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

"Am I dreaming this?" she asked.

What happened to Hinchey wasn't a dream, but it's certainly a nightmare. Sometime overnight on Sept. 15, an unknown man entered the Hincheys' house from a side door. He wandered the first floor, dumping the contents of wallets and purses, then made his way upstairs.

The man made his way into their bedroom. He opened their bedside tables, checking inside the drawers, all while Hinchey and her husband slept. At some point the man became physical with Hinchey, waking her up.

The man ran out the bedroom door as the Hincheys tried to understand what had happened.

"I never would have thought someone would have come into our home," she said. "Someone came and violated our home."

Hinchey said she's lived in Yellowknife since 1969 and has always felt safe in her Range Lake home. But with recent reports of violence against women -- and now a victim herself -- Hinchey said her feeling of security has changed.

"It's moving out into the suburbs," she said. "I've never felt afraid in Yellowknife."

The trend

Since late July, RCMP have received at least six reports of violence against women in Yellowknife. The incidents have occurred throughout the city, from the Forrest Drive area, to the McMahon Frame Lake Trail, the Range Lake area and most recently, Somba K'e Park.

RCMP arrested and charged one individual with committing an indecent act in relation to an incident near Northern United Place three weeks ago. Last week, RCMP explained why it doesn't release information on every reported assault to the public, just incidents where police might be seeking information from the public or if the public needs to be concerned.

The RCMP also confirmed in a news release that it does not believe any of the assaults are connected and stated there is no increased risk to women in Yellowknife.

Hinchey said the RCMP's response to her report has been "phenomenal," but she doesn't agree the recent incidents are unrelated.

She thinks the RCMP are "overworked and understaffed." She wants city bylaw officers to help fight crime downtown.

"People need to get their heads out of the sand," she said. "Downtown is embarrassing. It's awful."

Hinchey said she's always thought Yellowknife was a brilliant place to live. She and her husband plan to retire here.

"The core of this community is so fantastic. My hope is they all come together on this. We need to look after each other."

The problems of downtown Yellowknife -- public drunkenness, drugs, mischief and violence -- are only going to get worse, Hinchey says.

"It's not something that happens in a back alley."

Hinchey, who lives on a quiet street on the southwestern corner of Yellowknife, is seeing alarm company signs being put up on her neighbours' lawns now.

"I think people are frightened," she said.

RCMP response

Yellowknife police are taking some heat as the tally of violence against women rises. Letter writers to Yellowknifer recently called for an increased police presence downtown and more foot patrols.

Insp. Frank Gallagher, Yellowknife RCMP detachment commander, said police have stepped up foot patrols in response to concerns, performing more than 115 this summer.

But Gallagher said officers respond to so many calls in the city, it's hard to get officers out of their vehicles.

The police need to be mobile to quickly respond to the multiple calls of public drunkenness, disputes and fights across the city in a given day, Gallagher said. Officers are also regularly called to court to testify in cases they're involved with. They conduct boat and ATV patrols as well.

"We're trying to do foot patrols and encompass everything," he said. "But at the same time we're getting call after call after call."

"You can see where our numbers start to get a little thin."

The Yellowknife RCMP has about 27 officers on hand for policing the streets.

The detachment divides the officers into four shifts, meaning there's approximately seven officers on duty at a time. Each officer is on duty for 12 hours for four days straight, then they get four days off. Some of those officers also pull double duty as members of the city's emergency response team.

"We're always looking at how to use our officers in the best manner. It's my job to review each situation," Gallagher said.

Gallagher wouldn't say he's looking for more officers for his detachment. Those decisions are made by the federal and territorial governments, he said.

The GNWT contribute $40.3 million for police services in the territory, according to the 2013-2014 budget.

Call to action

Only a fraction of sexual assaults are reported to police, according to Statistics Canada. Hinchey wants that to change.

She has decided to talk to the media and tell her story, in the hopes other women will do the same.

Hinchey said people don't need to live in fear. Police need more information and the public needs to be more aware of the assaults for something to change, she said.

Immediately after the assault, Hinchey said she'd pull the blinds in her house throughout the day. She'd lock doors, set alarms and motion sensors in the lawn. But Hinchey doesn't want to live like that in Yellowknife.

"I went for a run yesterday on the trail. I need to live my life. I don't want to hide."

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