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RCMP told of alleged assault in Courtenay hours after the fact

Police only made aware of possible attack through social media posts
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Entrance to Bill Moore Memorial Park in Courtenay. File photo

Comox Valley RCMP confirmed they were made aware of an alleged assault in Bill Moore Park in Courtenay Saturday, but not until a considerable amount of time had passed.

“The Comox Valley RCMP can confirm that an assault was reported on May 23, 2020 at the Bill Moore Park in Courtenay,” said Comox Valley RCMP media relations officer, Const. Monika Terragni. “Unfortunately, the assault was reported hours after it allegedly occurred and was only reported as the result of a social media post on Facebook.”

Terragni said despite the time-lapse, RCMP were able to track down the pair involved in the incident.

“Frontline officers located the people involved and conducted an investigation into what happened at the park. The people involved are known to each other and this was not a random attack.”

They did not elaborate as to whether charges were laid in relation to the incident.

RCMP want to reinforce that time is of the essence when reporting a crime.

“The best time to make a report to police is while the crime is occurring or as soon as practicable after the crime has occurred A swift report to police will allow investigators to gather evidence from the area which might otherwise be perishable,” said Terragni.

The RCMP are also concerned about some of the comments that have been made on the Facebook post, suggesting vigilantism.

“There has been concern raised over some of the comments being posted on Facebook directed toward the safety of the individual shown in the posted photograph,” said Terragni. “Any threats directed toward this individual do not help the police investigation and they do not assist in preventing or reducing crime in our community. In fact, any acts of vigilantism would likely detract from the goal to reduce crime as it would take significant police hours to investigate these acts. Residents should also be mindful that the accuracy of social media posts is not verified. Instead, one of the most valuable ways that residents can assist is by reporting crime and suspicious activity right away.”



terry.farrell@blackpress.ca

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Terry Farrell

About the Author: Terry Farrell

Terry returned to Black Press in 2014, after seven years at a daily publication in Alberta. He brings 14 years of editorial experience to Comox Valley Record...
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