THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Police Service is asking the public to be careful of what information they believe – and share – online about local crime and policing issues.
The service responded online this week to a report on Facebook of a fatal stabbing in the Syndicate Avenue area, which police called “entirely fabricated.”
The post, which was accompanied by a photo of TBPS officers and details of the alleged incident, had been shared more than 300 times as of Thursday.
Media relations coordinator Scott Paradis said it's part of an ongoing issue with misinformation online, which he said can emerge from speculation about the reason for police presence in a neighbourhood.
Paradis said the police presence on Syndicate Avenue described in the post in question was likely related to a medical incident, and that he was unable to share further details for privacy reasons. Police were not dispatched to a homicide or any kind of assault in the area, he said.
“It’s unfortunate that these kinds of fictions are shared so widely,” he said. “Stories like this also risk undermining real investigations. When we request public assistance through social media, for example, the public may confuse the information we’re sharing with the fictional versions already circulating.”
Paradis said the police service tries to provide transparency to the public on the kinds of crimes that take place in their area through its online crime map.
