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This article was published 17/2/2011 (3512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO -- A Toronto police officer tasked with giving advice on keeping women safe on campus has now issued an apology for suggesting they could avoid sexual assault by not dressing "like sluts."

The comments were made during a campus safety information session at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School last month, which the officer was assigned by the force to lead.

The officer has written a letter of apology to the university's students and staff, Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said Thursday.

"The comments that were made are clearly diametrically opposed to the way in which we train our people, the way in which we train our investigators and the way in which we write about sexual assault," he said.

Pugash said the officer has been disciplined, but would not say what actions were taken. He would not comment on the contents of the letter.

Police launched an investigation into the matter following complaints from Osgoode Hall students and staff.

Joey Hoffman, a residence fellow and a member of Osgoode's student government, was among those who heard the officer's presentation.

"He prefaced it first by saying, 'I'm told I'm not supposed to say something like this but...' and then he went on to say women should avoid dressing like sluts in order to avoid being sexually harassed," Hoffman said.

"People were shocked, appalled and for the most part, silent, because we were so taken aback," he added.

Once the discussion ended, "people realized just how inappropriate (the comment) was," Hoffman said.

The officer's apology "is a step in the right direction," he said.

Others say it doesn't make up for the damage the officer's words have caused by casting blame on the victims of sexual assault.

"To have an organization like the police say that... it really decreases the likelihood that survivors of sexual assault will talk to anyone," said Mila Guidorizzi, with the university's Sexual Assault Survivors' Support Line.

Guidorizzi said she would like the officer to take one of their training sessions. "I think he could learn a lot..."

Pugash said the Toronto police force has worked with a number of outside organizations to come up with a training program for sexual assault investigators.

-- The Canadian Press