In a bizarre order, the police in Canada warned its citizens against posting CCTV footage of incidents of ‘package theft’ as it violates the privacy of the suspected thieves. In a stern warning, Police in the Canadian province of Quebec said that people can’t post videos of thefts online because Canada has a presumption of innocence, and posting such videos could be a violation of private life.
It is important to note that citizens in Western nations often suffer from package theft. Unlike in many nations including India, delivery vans in many Western nations drop the packages outside the houses rather than delivering them in person to the customers, as pointed out in Canadian media reports. In many cases, miscreants steal these parcels before the actual customers retrieve them. Such thieves often follow delivery vans, and when they see that a package has not been picked up and there is nobody in the house, they steal the packages.
On Saturday (13th January), CTV News Montreal video journalist Olivia O’Malley reported, “Montreal West is known for its large porches, but around the holidays, those porches are a big target for thieves or ‘porch pirates’”.
Montreal West councilor responsible for public security Lauren Small-Pennefather said, “It’s something we deal with on a daily basis.”
Speaking with CTV, Small-Pennefather said, “You have people that are following the vehicles, and when they see a parcel that’s dropped off, they then go and take the parcel if nobody comes to the door to retrieve the parcel.”
However, the province’s local police force, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) warned the residents against posting surveillance footage of someone stealing their packages because it could violate the “private life” of the alleged package thieves.
SQ communications officer Lt. Benoit Richard said, “If you get some proof that somebody might have stolen something, call the police, give that proof to the police. We’ll do the investigation, bring that person to justice, and file some charges.”
Issuing a stern warning, he added, “You cannot post the images yourself because you have to remember, in Canada, we have a presumption of innocence and posting that picture could be a violation of private life.”
According to CTV, following the warning, people could face potential defamation charges for posting security footage of the alleged act of package theft.
In an email sent to Fox News Digital, the Sûreté du Québec cited articles 35 and 36 of the Civil Code of Québec. The articles state, “every person has a right to the respect of his 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.”
The police also said individuals who post pictures of a person without consent could face a variety of civil or criminal proceedings depending on the situation, as reported by Fox News.
However, the official’s warning remarks triggered a backlash and disbelief among Canadian citizens who objected to the warning that they could face legal trouble for posting home security footage of their packages being stolen.
Canadian journalist Ezra Levant accused the police of prioritising criminals over victims. Levant wrote, “It’s 2024, so of course the police care more about criminals than victims of crime.”
Conservative commentator Chris Tomlinson argued, “The Quebec police are saying this because it embarrasses them in how much theft occurs without consequence. Report it to them, and they’ll file it away and pretend it never happened.”
Author and host of YouTube’s The Factual Feminist, Christina Hoff Sommers fumed, “The world has gone mad.”