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Criticism – RCMP Clarify Wording of Social Media Reports of Abduction Attempts in Chilliwack and Coquitlam

Fraser Valley – It is PR after the firestorm. RCMP insinuated that many women on line would seem to trust reporting situations on social media rather that to police. .. and then the reports of a white van.

Over the weekend, two news releases were issued by the Coquitlam RCMP
(http://coquitlam.bc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=318&languageId=1&contentId=-1 in an attempt to address concerns on social media about women missing from the Lower Mainland and in other parts of the province.

The RCMP went out of their way to clarify some wording and ease fears.

The RCMP Media Release:

We (RCMP) have heard from members of the public, elected officials and from some of our stakeholders who have expressed deep concern about the language used by the BC RCMP.

We regret that this has caused anger and has upset people. In no way,
was it meant to be disrespectful or dismissive of the public’s
concern. We attempted to address this issue in order to get the most
accurate and timely information out to the public. We are fully aware
that we used language that upset some of the people we serve.

Reassure the public: The BC RCMP wishes to reassure the public that
there is nothing to indicate that people are being abducted or there is
an increase in reported cases. There is also nothing to indicate any
links in recent missing person cases identified in Port Moody,
Chilliwack or other areas of the province. The circumstances in each
investigation are different.


Additionally, the Real Time Intelligence Centre British Columbia
(RTIC-BC) has a mandate to review and identify links and trends in
criminal activity throughout the province. This is just one of the ways
police departments in BC share information and coordinate investigative
efforts.  RTIC-BC reports that in three recent files, persons were
followed by a white van. There was no other interaction. A fourth file,
confirms one male being forced into a white paneled van. It is still
under investigation. Of note, four of the files which reported a white
van in their neighbourhoods, reported it after seeing similar posts on
social media. No links, trends or increases in missing persons was
identified.


Police receive reports of missing persons daily and in the majority of
cases news alerts are issued and nearly all are located safe. Every
report of a missing person is taken seriously and actively investigated
in accordance with BC Policing Standards for missing persons. We receive
over 20,000 missing persons reports every year. About 1% of people
remain missing at the end of the year, and most are located within 7
days. Additionally, each case is subject to investigative reviews and
assessed against other cases for similarities or connections.

Social media posts: In addition to our public website, interviews and
news releases, the BC RCMP uses social media to communicate directly
with the people we serve, and we consider it an important tool to share
information quickly. We also understand the power of social media as a
platform to spread misinformation causing needless fear in the
community.

This is what happened this past weekend with hundreds, even thousands
of posts that warned the public of a series of abductions, possibly
involving a suspicious white van that had not been substantiated. Very
concerning were the calls for people to start arming themselves. The
posts also speculated that some recent missing person files were linked.
This was not true and inconsistent with the evidence gathered. We
understand that many posters likely shared the information with good
intentions. We appreciate people care about each other and simply want
to communicate what they believe is accurate information about their own
safety. However, the BC RCMP is pleading with the public to reach out to
the police in your jurisdiction for the most accurate information and to
report any suspicious incidents to your local police for investigative
follow up. Access police social media on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook
first, to confirm if the posts you are seeing are corroborated by the
police. The police are your best and most accurate source of
information. The BC RCMP social media accounts include Twitter: @BCRCMP,
Instagram: bcrcmp and Facebook: BCRCMP.

Please know that the BC RCMP continues to prioritize and investigate
any reported missing persons, abduction attempts as we would any serious
public safety issue including the ongoing gang conflict. Further, if
there is evidence of a heightened risk to the public on any matter,
police will provide that alert expeditiously and factually.

Here is the latest news release issued on the topic by the Coquitlam
RCMP on Sunday February 7,
(http://coquitlam.bc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=2115&languageId=1&contentId=68183) to address the misinformation. It also provides tips and information about how to report suspicious circumstances to the police.

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