QUEBEC, CANADA - In a video, police in the Canadian province of Quebec warned their citizens against posting surveillance footage of their packages being stolen because it could "violate the private life" of the alleged criminals.
According to Fox News, CTV News Montreal video journalist Olivia O'Malley reported on how several homes, especially those with larger porches, become heavily targeted by thieves during the holiday season. She said, "Montreal West is known for its large porches, but around the holidays, those porches are a big target for thieves or 'porch pirates.'"
In a statement on Saturday, January 6th, Lauren Small-Pennefather, Montreal West councilor responsible for public security, said, "It's something we deal with on a daily basis. 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."
Even so, the province's local police force, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) warned their local citizens against sharing any of their home surveillance footage of the alleged porch thieves. SQ communications officer Lt. Benoit Richard said in a statement, "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."
He added, "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."
According to CTV, people who do choose to post their own security footage of their packages being stolen right off their front porches could face potential defamation charges. In an email to Fox News Digital, SQ pointed to articles 35 and 36 of the Civil Code of Québec, which reportedly states that, "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."
SQ also said that individuals who disseminate pictures of a person without consent from that person, could face a variety of civil or criminal proceedings depending upon the details surrounding the situation. After the video of Lt. Benoit Richard was shared, there was immediate backlash from several citizens of Canada. Some could not believe that Canadians could face legal trouble for simply posting their home security footage of their packages being stolen from their front porches.
In a post, Canadian journalist Ezra Levant wrote, "It's 2024, so of course the police care more about criminals than victims of crime."
Conservative commentator Chris Tomlinson wrote, "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 wrote, "The world has gone mad."
According to the Daily Mail, several other people shared their feelings on the issue. One user wrote, "This is them saying they want to hide crime. Wonder if it passes the legal test though. He's not a lawyer. He's a cop. Wonder if it's political."
Another person said, "They gave up their privacy when they showed up on my porch on my camera." One user wrote, "Well they committed a crime. They stole a package that was not theirs. There's no allegedly they stole a package that was not theirs. That was not their house, grabbed it and ran away."
Small-Pennefather recommended that people require a signature on the parcel for pick up or to arrange to pick up packages from the carrier at their depot as methods to prevent packages from being stolen. A FedEx survey from 2023 showed that 28 percent of respondents reported having their packages stolen by porch pirates.
According to Fox News, CTV News Montreal video journalist Olivia O'Malley reported on how several homes, especially those with larger porches, become heavily targeted by thieves during the holiday season. She said, "Montreal West is known for its large porches, but around the holidays, those porches are a big target for thieves or 'porch pirates.'"
In a statement on Saturday, January 6th, Lauren Small-Pennefather, Montreal West councilor responsible for public security, said, "It's something we deal with on a daily basis. 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."
Even so, the province's local police force, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) warned their local citizens against sharing any of their home surveillance footage of the alleged porch thieves. SQ communications officer Lt. Benoit Richard said in a statement, "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."
He added, "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."
According to CTV, people who do choose to post their own security footage of their packages being stolen right off their front porches could face potential defamation charges. In an email to Fox News Digital, SQ pointed to articles 35 and 36 of the Civil Code of Québec, which reportedly states that, "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."
SQ also said that individuals who disseminate pictures of a person without consent from that person, could face a variety of civil or criminal proceedings depending upon the details surrounding the situation. After the video of Lt. Benoit Richard was shared, there was immediate backlash from several citizens of Canada. Some could not believe that Canadians could face legal trouble for simply posting their home security footage of their packages being stolen from their front porches.
In a post, Canadian journalist Ezra Levant wrote, "It's 2024, so of course the police care more about criminals than victims of crime."
Conservative commentator Chris Tomlinson wrote, "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 wrote, "The world has gone mad."
According to the Daily Mail, several other people shared their feelings on the issue. One user wrote, "This is them saying they want to hide crime. Wonder if it passes the legal test though. He's not a lawyer. He's a cop. Wonder if it's political."
Another person said, "They gave up their privacy when they showed up on my porch on my camera." One user wrote, "Well they committed a crime. They stole a package that was not theirs. There's no allegedly they stole a package that was not theirs. That was not their house, grabbed it and ran away."
Small-Pennefather recommended that people require a signature on the parcel for pick up or to arrange to pick up packages from the carrier at their depot as methods to prevent packages from being stolen. A FedEx survey from 2023 showed that 28 percent of respondents reported having their packages stolen by porch pirates.
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Comments
2024-01-16T07:05-0600 | Comment by: Sally
I guess laws in Canada do have some significant differences. I don't believe that in the States, someone outside - in public, invading my privacy by stealing from me - would have privacy rights that trumped my own. But in this day and age where law and justice are completely upside-down, when criminals are celebrated and victims of their crimes are punished, anything is not only possible, but probable. I do agree, however, that in such an event as capturing footage of a thief, the wisest course of action is to submit the footage to the police and let them follow up with apprehension. Public posting isn't really necessary. (Whether the court would prosecute and convict, or only shake a finger at the criminal for being naughty, is another matter.)
2024-01-25T15:44-0600 | Comment by: Rick
More steps that are only meant to protect criminals. If you come on my property it is up to me if I record your actions. Because of my state, I cannot record audio without two-party consent.