Share
Commentary

Police: Package Thieves Deserve Privacy, So Don't Post Videos of Them Stealing Your Stuff

Share

Canadians are known for inordinate politeness combined with heavy-handed political correctness. It’s an odd combination but somewhat unsurprising for a nation that considers Justin Trudeau an acceptable head of state.

However, even for the great frozen north, this is a bit much: In Quebec, police are warning victims of package theft not to post videos of the alleged thieves online — lest they become the criminals.

According to Fox News, the Sûreté du Québec — the local police force in the province — is warning those who have been struck by “porch pirates” not to share video of the crime online.

The warning came as CTV News Montreal reported on a rash of porch piracy in Canada’s second-largest city.

“Montreal West is known for its large porches, but around the holidays, those porches are a big target for thieves or ‘porch pirates,’” CTV’s Olivia O’Malley reported Saturday.

It’s a major issue in the city, according to Lauren Small-Pennefather, the Montreal West councilor in charge of public security.

“It’s something we deal with on a daily basis,” she 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.”

Indeed, CTV reported in November that a FedEx survey found 28 percent of respondents said they were victims of package theft. That’s up from 24 percent in 2022 and 20 percent in 2021 — indicative of a growing problem.



“It’s a natural concern,” said James Anderson, spokesman for FedEx Express Canada. “It’s always in the back of your mind — ‘What happens with my package [when I’m not home]?'”

Have you been the victim of porch package theft?

Well, obviously, if you have a home monitoring system, as many people do, you can catch the individual in the act and post footage where people are most likely to identify the culprit — namely, online.

The problem is, that’s a big no-no, at least as far as the Sûreté du Québec is concerned.

“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,” said Lt. Benoit Richard, communications officer with the force.

Related:
Trump Issues Big Warning to Mexico, Canada, and China

When Fox News contacted the agency for comment, the Sûreté du Québec referenced articles 35 and 36 of the Code of Québec. Those state that “every person has a right to the respect of his reputation and privacy,” and “the privacy of a person may not be invaded without the consent of the person or without the invasion being authorized by law.”

So, just to be clear: The lawbreaker has more rights to privacy than the victim, even though the crime was committed in broad daylight and, short of a fantastic AI rendering of a nonexistent porch theft, the camera merely displays what the person did. Any damage to his or her reputation and/or privacy was self-inflicted.

But don’t tell that to the Sûreté du Québec, which warned that those who share footage of porch pirates could face civil or criminal proceedings.

Instead, victims were urged to call 911 and hand the case over to police — who clearly place a high priority on catching the thieves whose privacy they’re so concerned about.

Ezra Levant, conservative pundit and co-founder of Canadian conservative publication Rebel News, put it best.

“It’s 2024, so of course the police care more about criminals than victims of crime,” he said.

And, yes, this is Canada, where the cold seems to have frozen over the portion of politicians’ brains responsible for common sense.

The problem is that whatever formless woke movement has taken hold in Canuckistan will eventually find its way down here given enough time.

Sure, today it’s just the Sûreté du Québec worried about protecting the privacy of porch pirates at the expense of hardworking Canadians who paid for the items these people are stealing.

Rest assured that, not too many tomorrows from today, AOC and the rest of the “squad” will be on CNN lambasting anyone who puts doorbell video of package thieves online as racists and vigilantes.

Unless Quebecois heads roll due to this insipidity, one can guarantee the rot will only spread south.


A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

 

I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.” 

 

That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.

 

Gen. Flynn’s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.

 

The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

 

All of this means that without you, it’s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we’ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can’t continue the fight.

 

Can we count on your support? It may not seem like much, but a Western Journal Membership can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. 

 

A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.

 

We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you join us in the fight? 

 

Sincerely,

Josh Manning

Deputy Managing Editor

The Western Journal

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , ,
Share
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation