The Saanich Police recognizes that most households are now “on-line”.  As a result, adults and children alike have access to all kinds information to help them learn and explore the world.  Unfortunately access to the internet can also bring unwanted, offensive and even criminal material right into your home.  To address this growing threat, police agencies across Canada are working together to confront this new type of crime.

Internet crime can include:

• Cyberstalking or harassment;

• Physical threats;

• Child Pornography / Sexual Exploitation of Children - for more information see our page for Reporting Online Child Exploitation;

• Obscenity - Although pornography is not illegal, publishing obscene material - including that which contains undue exploitation of sex and crime, horror, cruelty or violence - is a crime.  Report obscene online material to your local police, and contact the ISP responsible for hosting the content.  Keep in mind, ISPs do not have the legal right to decide if material is illegal.  Most ISPs are therefore reluctant to remove suspect content from their servers unless it violates their acceptable use policy or they receive official direction from a law enforcement agency;

• Internet fraud - for more information visit our Financial Crimes Section page;

• Dangerous and illegal activities - such as bomb-making, terrorism, or       unlicensed  trade in weapons;

• Hate crimes or Advocating Genocide - It's not always easy to tell whether hateful online content is illegal rather than just offensive and annoying. Nevertheless, the police are not able to prosecute offenders if they don't know about them. Public response is therefore crucial.  Report any activity that you believe may be a hate crime to your local police. You may also want to contact the Internet Service provider (ISP) responsible for hosting the content; and

• Hacking - illegally breaking into individual computers or computer networks.

If you encounter any material that you feel constitutes and Internet Crime please contact the Saanich Police at 250-475-4321.