The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom guarantees that EVERYONE has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure of property.It also guarantees that you cannot be detained or imprisoned without reason.
EVERYONE who is arrested has the right to know the reason why.They also have the right to get legal advice.There is free legal advice for anyone who cannot afford a lawyer.
The police will require your name, address and date of birth in order to process any charges but you have the right NOT to answer any questions or incriminate yourself in any way.
Police officers are members of our society who have been given certain powers to enforce laws which have been made by various levels of government.As a result, police officers have a duty to carry out certain enforcement actions within our society. You are required as residents of Canada and your province to comply with certain requests and demands of police officers.
You also have certain rights and are protected from any wrong-doing by the police.The courts of this country have the final say in disputes regarding civilian or police wrong-doing.
If you do not speak English, you should try to have a family member or a friend assist you. If this is not possible and the crime you are reporting needs immediate attention, your police service has a number of volunteer interpreters it can use for assistance. A lack of English should never stop you from making a complaint to the police.
Criminal offence are defined in a law called the Criminal Code of Canada.There are too many offence to list them all here. If you think something might be wrong then it probably is wrong. If you think you have been the victim of a criminal offence contact your local police agency. They will be able to determine if a law was broken and provide you with assistance.
If you are a victim of a crime or if you see a crime being committed, try to remember as much as possible. Writing things down will help. Your assistance will help the police to solve the crime.
If your community has a 911 telephone system, this allows the police or emergency service required to identify the caller and the caller's address. If the caller is injured or unable to speak, the operator will know where the call was made from. You should call 911 in any of the following cases:
When you call 911, the operator will ask which service you need.If you say " police " then you will get the police communications centre, if you say " fire " then you will get the fire communications centre, etc. If you cannot speak English or if for some reason you are not able to speak at the time, dial 911 and keep the phone line open ( off the hook ). If you are able to speak the operator will be listening. The police should attend to determine the nature of the problem at the address.
It should be noted that some rural 911 systems only allow quick access to the emergency services but do not provide the 911 operator with your name and address. Please check with your local police agency to determine which system you have. If you are on the cellular phone, please state your name and address as well.
If you are reporting a non-emergency event, such as a car accident where there are no injuries or a theft that has been completed, then you should call the regular police complaints number.
More serious offences in Canada are called criminal offences which are defined in the Criminal Code of Canada. For example, theft of an item from a store is often called shoplifting. Shoplifting is a criminal offence as it is defined as theft under the criminal code. If you are found committing a criminal offence, or if a police officer has reasonable grounds to believe you have committed a serious criminal offence, the police officer may arrest you and hold you for a court appearance. In a case of a minor offence, the police officer may release you on an appearance notice. This notice will tell you what you are charged with and when you have to appear for fingerprinting and for court. If you fail to appear for the court appearance, you can be arrested and held for court.
A person who has been charged with a criminal offence may have to give his/her fingerprints. If a person later found " not guilty " in court, these prints are destroyed. If a person found " guilty ", the prints are sent to Ottawa and kept there. After 5 years a person may apply to have the fingerprints destroyed. There are some exceptions and for further information you can contact the National Parole Board.
All crimes are defined in the same way whether committed by young people or adults. There is however a different way of dealing with young people who have committed a criminal offence. A person aged 12 - 17 years of age is a young person. There is recognition that as a society we need to focus on the rehabilitation of this person more than the punishment, while still considering a need to protect the public. It is necessary for young people to understand the process which they are going through and be accountable for their actions.
The Young Offenders Act focuses on alternate processes which allow young people to be accountable without criminalization. The police may refer cases to mediation as opposed to putting young people through the courts. In all cases where someone has been diverted to an alternate process, it is necessary for the young person to acknowledge responsibility for their actions and work towards an agreed upon action to either show accountability or bring about restitution.
In Canada, it is illegal to threaten a person with death or physical harm. It is also illegal to threaten to do damage to a person's property.
There are very strict laws against domestic ( family ) violence. A husband cannot hit his wife and a wife cannot hit her husband. If there is physical evidence ( bruises, cuts, etc. ) or there are witnesses, charges will be laid even if the victim does not want the other person charged. The offender will be arrested and will not be able to go home until a Judge gives permission.
There are many agencies available to assist victims of domestic violence. These agencies are often provide emergency service such as temporary shelter for women who need to get out of an abusive home situation. The police officer dealing with the situation can provide further information.
Child abuse is considered a very serious matter. If you suspect that a child is physically or sexually abused, it is your duty to report this to the police. If you suspect or witness any case of child abuse, you should call the police.Every complaint will be investigated and charges may be laid. Counselling services are available for the victim, the victim's family, and the offender. The investigating officer can assist in obtaining these services.
Neglect and abuse of the older adults both mental and physical, should be reported to the police for the protection of the victim. Here too, counselling services are available.
Prostitution is a problem in many Saskatchewan centers. In many cases the prostitutes come from broken homes with a history of physical, sexual, drug and alcohol abuse. However, there have been cases where the prostitutes have come from good homes. Quite often these girls fell in with the wrong people, started experimenting with drugs or alcohol, and eventually ended up on the street. People seek out girls who they feel would be a good candidate. They give the girl lots of attention and gifts and supply the drugs and alcohol. Once they have removed the girl from her family and friends, they started demanding she earn some money, and force her to work as a prostitute. They then demand part of the earnings from the girl. In Canada, it is a criminal offence to solicit a prostitute for sex, and for a prostitute to solicit a customer for sex or to live off the money from prostitution.
The use of drugs prescribed by a doctor for a medical condition which you have is perfectly legal. There are however many restrictions regarding the possession and sale of prescription drugs. There are criminals who would try to persuade people with legitimate drug prescriptions to sell the drugs to them for resale on the street. This practise is illegal. There are so many drugs such as marijuana and cocaine which are illegal to possess or sell. The penalties for possession of drugs range from probation up to a period in jail. The penalty for selling drugs illegally ( trafficking ) is usually a jail sentence.
There are many young people who get involved in stealing from stores. the belief seems to be that the store is not going to be hurt by the loss of a few dollars worth of goods. This is false. The major retailers are losing in excess of a million dollars a year due to shoplifting and they take it very seriously. They insist that action be taken.
This is one of the most common ways that young people receive their first criminal conviction. It should be noted that shoplifting is not limited to young people. The loss prevention officers hired by the store recognize that shoplifters can come from any age group and as a result will watch all people who enter the store.
Use caution in how to deal with merchandise while shopping. Do not unwrap items or place items in your pockets. Never tamper with price tags on the items.
Laws are made in our legislatures and police must enforce the laws as written. Canadian laws are impartial and apply to everyone equally. As a resident of Canada, you are expected to obey the laws.
All penalties for convictions of driving offence include a driver's licence suspension. As well there will be a penalty ranging from a fine of up to $2,000.00 to life imprisonment for more serious offence ( usually involving injury ). Listed below are some of the more common criminal driving offence.
If a police officer suspects that you have been drinking and are impaired he or she may demand that you provide samples of your breath to analyze in order to determine if you are impaired. If you refuse to provide these samples then you have committed an offence and are liable to a penalty similar to impaired driving.
It is illegal to operate or be in control of a motor vehicle while you are impaired by a drug or by alcohol. It is also again the law to do this while your blood alcohol level exceeds 80 mgs. of alcohol for every 100 ml. of blood ( over .08 ). This means you can be charged if you have taking prescription drugs and you are impaired by them ( eg. Valium ).
Whenever you are convicted of a criminal driving offence you will be disqualified from driving for up to three years. If you drive during this time you are liable to a fine of up to $2,000.00 and to a jail term of up to 2 years. Your vehicle will also be impounded ( seized ) for 30 days.
Driving a motor vehicle in a manner which you should know is reckless or dangerous to other people or showing wanton or reckless disregard for the safety of others is a criminal offence. The penalty could range from a fine up to life imprisonment.
Police officers regard traffic work as routine.They often aid motorists who experience difficulties while travelling. However, when drivers purposely break, ignore, or are not aware of the rules of the road, the police are required to and will enforce all traffic laws.
The police can signal you to stop, using their red/blue lights, a special stop light, voice commands or hand signals. You must stop at the earliest, safe opportunity pulling to the right side of the road. If you are stopped for a traffic offence, ( speeding, red light, stop sign, etc. ), several actions may be taken. You will be asked for your driver's licence and vehicle registration. You must produce these.If you do not have a valid driver's licence or if your vehicle is unregistered, your vehicle may be impounded ( seized ) by the police. You may be given a verbal warning, a written warning, or you may be given a traffic summons, ( also called a ticket ). The police officer will explain the ticket to you at the time. The police officer may use discretion in issuing a warning or a ticket. Once you have been given the warning or the ticket, you are free to go.In some cases the police officer may search your car although such cases are rare and usually involve more serious offences.
All car accidents with total damage over $1,000.00, or where someone is injured, have to be reported to the police immidiately. If the cars are driveable, you will be told to come to the police station to fill out a report. If damage is under $1,000.00 and there are no injuries, you must supply the other driver with your name, address and the licence number of the car you are driving. You then call your insurance company.
The police will try to help you in most situations but there are some problems which must be dealt with by other agencies. One such problem is a complaint of a lanlord doing something like changing the locks. This is a matter for other civil authorities. This type of complaint would be refered to the Office of the Rentalsman.
Often people will make agreements for sale of vehicles and still be owed part of the money. This is usually a civil matter and the police will refer you to the courts to sue for the money owed. Another example of this would be if you paid a contractor money to complete a job and the job wasn't completed to your satisfaction or was only partially done.
In marital disputes, it is often uncertain who has the right to what property. Although the police may be unable to help in any of the above situations, you could call the police and if they determined that it wasn't a police matter they could then refer you to the appropriate agency.
Through the cooperation of the police and the community, many crimes can be prevented. Most police agencies have community service units or crime prevention details which maintain community programs that provide information related to individual and community safety. These programs are designed to assist in providing a safe, secure community to live and work.
This program is designed to reduce crime in the community through community participation. It involves getting to know one's neighbours and introducing them to the concept of looking out for one another. Good neighbours working together alert each other and the police of suspicious activity in the community.
This program is a citizen action program run by volunteers at the community level. It is concerned citizens and the police working together to make our communities a safe place to raise our children. A block parent is a responsible adult who is willing to offer their home as a safe refuge for children or adults alike who may be in distress. Block parents must submit to security-screening through application and agree to display their sign responsibility.
This program is designed as a community service which combines the police, media and public in a crime-solving effort. The program ensures the anonymity of individuals who want to provide information to the police involving incidents of crime. Each week, an unsolved crime is re-enacted and featured in the media. There is a monetary reward for information which leads to an arrest.
Adult and youth education programs are introduced into a number of police community liaison operations. These programs discuss various issues including personal safety, home security, drug education and various other subjects in which the police may become involved.
Police agencies are addressing the on-going needs of victims within the context of their interaction within the justice system. Victim services are available to provide assistance and support to individuals to help them cope with the effects of victimization. Victims can receive information and referral to other agencies that are designed to assist individuals in various types of distress.
Police services across the province recognize the cultural diversity of our communities. Most police services have cultural relation programs involving liaison officers or contacts within the community that assist with cross cultural concerns or issues. Contact your local police service to obtain more information about programs offered in your area.
Sometimes a person feels that he or she has not been treated fairly by a police officer. Police officers, just like anyone else, have to abide by rules. If you feel that a police officer was unfair or did not act properly, you may make a complaint in person or writing to:
You will be required to give a written statement about your complaint. It will then be investigated and you will be advised of the outcome. If you do not wish to make a formal complaint, but wish to make an inquiry, a suggestion, or state a concern, you may do so in person or in writing.