Crime and Police
Crime and Police
What is Criminal Law?
Criminal laws make it illegal for someone to hurt or kill other people or to steal from them. People who are accused of breaking the criminal law are taken to court by the government. The federal government makes criminal law, which is the same all across Canada.
Role of Police in Canada
In Canada, the police have to obey the law. Their duty is to protect the people in the community. There are rules for the police. If a police officer hits you or calls you bad names, you can complain. To make a complaint about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), phone 1-800-665-6878. The website is www.cpc-cpp.gc.ca. To make a complaint about police in BC, go to the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner at www.opcc.bc.ca and click on Making a Complaint.
What to Do if the Police Stop Your Car
When you are driving a car, you may see a police car with flashing lights behind you or driving beside you. Stop at the right side of the road.
The police may stop you for many reasons. Maybe you were driving too fast. Maybe you didn’t stop at a stop sign. Maybe something is wrong with the car. Or the police officer may want to see if you are wearing a seat belt.
What should you do when the police stop you?
- Tell the police your name and address.
- Say whose car it is.
- Show your driver’s licence and the car's ownership and insurance papers.
- Never offer the police money. It is a serious crime to bribe a police officer.
Police at Your House
Police officers knock at your door and ask to come in. Do you have to let them in? The police can come into a house:
- if you say the police officers can come in.
- if the police have a warrant. A warrant is a paper from a judge that says the police can come in.
- if the police are chasing someone, and they think that person is in your house.
- if the police think there is a serious crime happening in your house.
Block Watch 
Block Watch is a program about neighbours helping neighbours. Households, apartments and condominiums on a block form a communication chain aided by a map of names, telephone numbers and addresses. Participants watch out for each others’ homes and report suspicious activities to the police and to each other.