© 2026 Crime Canada. All rights reserved.
Editorial Policy
Last updated: January 23, 2026
Crime Canada Report is a data-first public-safety website. This policy explains how we collect, verify, and present information about crime and community safety across Canada—especially in British Columbia and Metro Vancouver. It also sets expectations on corrections, transparency, privacy, and compliance with publication bans.
Important: We are not law enforcement, and our content is for general information only. If you need legal advice, please consult a qualified lawyer.
Core principles
Accuracy and verification
We prioritize verified facts, careful wording, and clear sourcing—especially in crime and court reporting.
Fairness and context
We avoid sensationalism. We provide context (time, geography, and rates) so readers can interpret information responsibly.
Transparency
We disclose methodologies, limitations, and meaningful uncertainties (for example, under-reporting or changes in reporting practices).
Privacy and harm reduction
We avoid doxxing and unnecessary personal details. We follow publication bans and protect vulnerable individuals.
Sources and attribution
We rely on reputable, verifiable sources. When we report facts, we aim to identify where the information came from and what it covers.
Common source types
- Official public datasets (for example: Statistics Canada, police open-data portals, municipal datasets).
- Court information (for example: published decisions, court listings, or other official public records where lawful and appropriate).
- Government and public-agency releases (statements, reports, and public advisories).
- Credible journalism and public-interest reports used as secondary confirmation where appropriate.
What we avoid
- Anonymous claims that cannot be verified.
- Speculation presented as fact.
- Private personal information (addresses, phone numbers, workplace details) unless clearly lawful and necessary for public safety, and even then only in rare circumstances.
Verification and data methodology
Crime data can be complex. Reported incidents may be revised, reclassified, or affected by changes in reporting practices and under-reporting. To support responsible interpretation, we use a structured process to clean, standardize, and review data before publishing.
| Step | What we do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Source validation | Confirm that datasets and records are authentic, current, and properly attributed. | Reduces the risk of using outdated or unreliable inputs. |
| Cleaning and standardization | Normalize categories, dates, and locations; remove duplicates; flag missing or inconsistent values. | Improves comparability across time and place. |
| Context and rates | Where appropriate, report per-capita rates and explain denominators, time windows, and geographic boundaries. | Helps prevent misleading conclusions from raw counts. |
| Quality checks | Scan for outliers, sudden breaks in trends, and known reporting changes; add explanatory notes when needed. | Signals to readers when comparisons are limited. |
For more detail, see our Data Methodology page (if published on your site).
Crime and court reporting standards
Presumption of innocence
When reporting on arrests, charges, or ongoing proceedings, we use careful language (for example, “alleged”) and avoid implying guilt. Charges are allegations until proven in court.
Publication bans and legal restrictions
We follow applicable publication bans and legal restrictions, including those that protect young persons and those ordered by courts. If information is subject to a ban, we will not publish it and will remove it if it appears on our site.
Clarity about what a record means
- Reported incidents are not the same as convictions.
- Calls for service, investigations, and charges are distinct concepts and may be tracked differently by agencies.
- Some crimes are under-reported or reported late; apparent trends may reflect reporting changes.
Privacy and safety
Victims and vulnerable individuals
- As a matter of policy, we generally do not identify victims of sexual violence or intimate-partner violence.
- We avoid details that could enable harassment, retaliation, or doxxing.
- We take extra care with sensitive topics involving children and youth.
Location and personal identifiers
To reduce risk of misuse, we avoid publishing home addresses or precise personal identifiers. Where location is needed for context, we may use neighborhood-level, district-level, or block-level descriptions depending on the dataset and safety considerations.
Corrections and updates
If we publish an error, we correct it as quickly as reasonably possible. We distinguish between:
- Corrections (a factual error, mislabeling, or incorrect attribution), and
- Updates (new information, a case outcome, or revised official data).
How to request a correction
- Email us with the URL of the page, the specific issue, and any supporting documentation.
- We review the request and, where appropriate, update the content and note the change.
- If we cannot verify the claim, we may add clarifying context rather than making a change.
User tips and user-generated content
If you submit a tip or message, we treat it as a starting point—not a verified fact. We may follow up, request documentation, or decide not to publish. We do not pay for tips and we do not publish personal information submitted by users.
Do not send sensitive personal data by email. If there is an emergency, contact local emergency services.
Advertising and sponsored content
We may display ads (including legal-service advertising) to support site operations. Advertising does not determine our editorial decisions.
- Sponsored content, if any, must be clearly labeled.
- We do not guarantee outcomes for any legal or professional services advertised on the site.
- We reserve the right to refuse ads that conflict with public safety, legal compliance, or site integrity.
AI and automation
We may use automation tools to help format content, summarize publicly available information, or improve readability. However, we do not rely on AI outputs as a substitute for verification.
- AI-assisted text is reviewed and edited before publication.
- We do not use AI to generate “new facts” about real-world events.
- If AI-generated content is used in a meaningful way, we aim to disclose it on the page.
Contact
For corrections, editorial questions, or general inquiries, contact: [email protected]