Another accused criminal was released by police only to reoffend the same day. He was then arrested and released again after being granted bail by the courts.
The Victoria Police Department issued a press release on Aug. 8, saying that charges have been made against a man who discharged a smoke grenade at a restaurant on Wednesday.
“The accused faces one count of Mischief and one count of Breach of Undertaking (for failing to comply with conditions,” said the Victoria Police Department.
Early Wednesday morning, the Victoria police arrested a man who smashed the front door of a restaurant with a rock. He was arrested and released on bail, with the condition that he would not return to the business. About six hours later, on the same day, the police responded to a report of a smoke grenade being thrown inside the same restaurant.
“Through the investigation, officers believed the same suspect was responsible for both offences. As a result, he was located and arrested a second time, in the 2900-Block of Douglas Street just after 9:15 a.m. this morning. After charges were laid, the accused was released by the courts with conditions and a future court appearance,” said the Victoria Police Department.
The police said that no further details are available because this matter is before the courts. However, a spokesperson for the Victoria Police Department confirmed to True North that the accused was arrested, released with conditions, arrested again for a separate incident, and then granted bail by the courts (not the police), and subsequently released. He is not currently in custody.
“Bill C-75, which came into effect nationally in 2019, legislated a ‘principle of restraint’ that requires police to release an accused person at the earliest possible opportunity after considering certain factors, which include the likelihood the accused will attend court, the imminence of the risk posed to public safety, and the impact on confidence in the criminal justice system,” said the Victoria Police Department. “At the time of the first incident, there was no reason to believe the accused would not meet any of the criteria, so to comply with the legislation, he was released.”
He was rereleased despite almost immediately breaching the conditions of this first release.
Canada’s premiers recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after a man allegedly killed someone only days after being released on bail.
Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc and Justice Minister Arif Virani said that it’s the province’s job to fix catch-and-release issues caused by the bail system.
Almost half of the 124 people arrested by Ontario’s Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force were out on bail at the time of their arrest, a number that surges to nearly three-quarters for minors.
This situation isn’t a first for the Victoria Police Department.
A Victoria, B.C. man was previously arrested and released on bail three times in a row in three days.
There seems to be an endless list of examples of alleged criminals who have committed crimes almost immediately after being released on bail.
Peel Police Service Board Chair Nando Iannicca cited an example following a record-setting gun seizure in Peel.
“It sounds like a joke… We’ve talked about the problem with car thefts, but (this) actually happened here in our GTA jurisdiction. Some guy’s up before a judge for having a stolen car, gets let off (on bail), and went into the parking lot courthouse and stole another car. You can’t make this stuff up,” said Iannicca.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to repeal Bill C-75.
He said that in Vancouver, they had to arrest the same 40 offenders 6,000 times, 150 arrests per offender per year. They are arrested every second day.
“There’s a tiny group of people who do crime — that’s good. But they’re very productive — that’s bad, said Poilievre. “We can throw them behind bars, and they won’t be able to reoffend. We’re going to pass a law making anyone with a long rap sheet ineligible for bail, parole, probation, or house arrest.”