The North Bay Police Service has adopted a new policy that prohibits visitors from taking video or photos on the North Bay Police Service headquarters property.
"There are two signs on our front doors - one in English and one in French - and it just indicates to the public under the trespass to property act that should anybody be engaging in that type of activity then they will be asked to leave," stated Constable Merv Shantz, corporate communications officer for the North Bay Police Service.
"We have adopted a policy that videos or photos should not be taken inside the police station by the public."
Shantz states that the new policy will not limit media access on the property.
"Of course, we do realize that the media is often present at our police station and we have a close relationship with the media," he said.
"It is essential for them [media] to be able to film or take photos so they are an exception to this policy but generally speaking we no longer allow people to come into our building or on our property and take video and pictures."
Shantz says other police services such as the Peterborough Police have adopted a similar policy.
"The background behind it is there is a bit of a movement across Ontario by some groups that people have been taking videos and photos of employees as they come and leave work," he explained.
"It is intimidating and it is something we don't want to subject our employees to."
Shantz says there is one case involving that situation before the courts where someone was filming one of our employees as they were on their properties.
He says the new policy is made as protection for all the people who work at the North Bay Police headquarters.
"The person that is trying to take pictures or videos would be asked to leave the property and cease doing what they are doing," explained Shantz.
"If they do not comply they can be arrested and escorted off the property. If the behaviour continues then you could be given a fine under the Trespass to Property Act and then with all provincial offences, you can actually be arrested and charged criminally for mischief.
"Hopefully, it would never get to that level, but those are the options available to us."
