(TargetLiberty.org) – Police in Quebec, Canada have warned that those citizens who post the surveillance footage of the theft of their packages could violate the alleged thieves’ “private life.”
On Saturday, CTV News Montreal videojournalist Olivia O’Malley reported that Montreal West which is known for houses with large porches is often targeted by thieves during the holiday period. As Lauren Small-Pennefather, the Montreal West councilor responsible for public security, pointed out this was something that they had to deal with daily.
She added that there were people that were following the vehicles and when they saw a parcel delivered without someone picking it up immediately they would rush to steal the package.
However, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), which is the local police force, has informed citizens that they needed to be careful about sharing the surveillance footage from such thefts as this could go against the rights of the porch thieves.
SQ communications officer Lt. Benoit Richard has warned that in Canada those pictures cannot be posted as there is the presumption of innocence and sharing those photos could be perceived as a violation of private life.
He added that if there was proof that someone might have stolen something then it was possible to “call the police” and provide proof of that to the police. As he pointed out at that point the police would handle the investigation and determine what charges should be filed against that person.
However, according to CTV if that footage is shared by the people who were the victims, they could end up facing defamation charges.
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