Canadian police have warned residents against posting pictures or videos of porch thieves or ‘pirates’ as this could violate their privacy.
The warning has been issued by Quebec’s provincial police force, The Sûreté du Québec and has been widely criticized by locals online.
Lauren Small-Pennefather, a Montreal West councilor responsible for public security, said packages are stolen outside of homes regularly, especially during holiday season.
‘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,’ she said.
Small-Pennefather also said that porch pirates are getting smarter in the ways they commit the thievery.
Quebec’s police force, The Sûreté du Québec has warned residents against posting pictures or videos of porch thieves or ‘pirates’ as this could violate their privacy
Lauren Small-Pennefather, a Montreal West councilor responsible for public security, said packages are stolen outside of homes regularly, especially during holiday season
In a video statement, communications officer Lt. Benoit Richard warned that residents cannot release pictures and videos that may act as evidence on heir own and need to hand them over.
‘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.
‘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.’ he said.
In a video statement, communications officer Lt. Benoit Richard warned that residents cannot release pictures and videos that may act as evidence on heir own and need to hand them over
Small-Pennefather recommended requiring a signature on the parcel for pick up or arranging to pick packages up from the carrier at the depot as methods to prevent stolen packages
According to a FedEx survey last year, 28 percent of respondents reported having their packages stolen by porch pirates in the past in 2023
But the warning has received massive backlash online.
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 its political.’
While another wrote: ‘They gave up their privacy when they showed on my porch on my camera.’
One user also 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 requiring a signature on the parcel for pick up or arranging to pick packages up from the carrier at the depot as methods to prevent stolen packages.
According to a FedEx survey last year, 28 percent of respondents reported having their packages stolen by porch pirates in the past in 2023.
In 2022, 24 percent of the people surveyed said they had been victims of porch theft while in 2021, only 20 percent said the same.
The survey also showed the number of victims reporting were consistent across the country, ranging from 26 to 30 percent, except for in Atlantic Canada.