Police in the Canadian province of Quebec warned citizens not to post surveillance images of their package theft because it could violate the “private lives” of the alleged thieves.
“Montreal West is known for its big porches, but during the holidays, those porches are a big target for thieves or ‘porch pirates,’” CTV News Montreal video journalist Olivia O’Malley reported Saturday.
“It’s something we deal with every day,” said Lauren Small-Pennefather, councilor responsible for public safety for Montreal West.
“There are people who follow vehicles and when they see a package that’s been left, they go and pick it up if no one comes to the door to retrieve it,” Small-Pennefather told CTV.
However, the province’s local police, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), warned local citizens not to share images of suspected porch thieves.
“You can’t post the images yourself because you have to remember that in Canada we have a presumption of innocence and publishing that image could be a violation of privacy,” warned Lt. Benoit Richard, SQ communications officer.
Lieutenant Benoit Richard, a Canadian police officer, warned that posting videos of suspected package thieves could be a violation of their privacy. Fox News People who spread photographs of a person without their consent could face a variety of civil or criminal proceedings depending on the situation, Canadian police said.
“If you have any evidence that someone might have stolen something, call the police and give it to them,” he said.
“We will do the investigation, bring that person to justice and press some charges.”
People who post security footage of their package theft could face possible defamation charges, according to CTV.
The Sûreté du Québec sent Fox News Digital an email pointing to articles 35 and 36 of the Quebec Civil Code, which establish that “every person has the right to respect for his or her reputation and privacy” and that “the privacy of a “person may not be invaded without the consent of the person or without the invasion being authorized by law.”
People who post security footage of their package theft could face possible defamation charges in Canada. YonkersPD
They also said people who spread photographs of a person without their consent could face a variety of civil or criminal proceedings depending on the situation.
The law enforcement officer’s comments sparked backlash and disbelief that Canadians could face legal problems for posting home security footage of their package theft.
“It’s 2024, so of course police care more about criminals than crime victims,” wrote Canadian journalist Ezra Levant.
“Quebec police say this because they are embarrassed by the number of robberies that occur without consequences,” wrote conservative commentator Chris Tomlinson.
“Tell them and they will file it away and pretend it never happened.”
“The world has gone crazy,” wrote author and host of YouTube’s The Factual Feminist, Christina Hoff Sommers.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn