It turns out, a recent report to the RCMP about a very serious situation might not be true after all.
Whether it was for attention, or the complainant is a pathological liar, it opens up the floor to discuss just how consequential lying to police, and even the public, can be.
You may not know this, but fabricating a story can result in a public mischief charge. It’s a criminal code offence and it will go on your record.
In this scenario in particular, the person making the claim wasn’t making it directly to police, instead it was a post on social media.
However, concerned citizens rightfully called it in to report it after learning the original poster hadn’t done so.
That turned into a criminal investigation.
There were victims, an accused, and a description of the supposed suspect vehicle involved.
RCMP take these calls seriously.
Officers dug in their heels and got the word out about the incident, asking for any information about what happened and the suspect.
They did all of this work only to find out it wasn’t true.
Whether or not someone should automatically be charged in these situations has been a discussion for years.
Some believe the “complainant” should have to pay for the wasted resources, while others want to see it go before the courts and to let a judge decide.
Regardless of the consequences someone faces, the damage has already been done. Sure, it may prevent future cases, but incidences like the one reported earlier this month, put the entire community on edge.
This isn’t the first time someone has made these types of false claims either.
We’ve seen it before.
It raises panic, concern, and it strikes fear into the hearts of parents.
So, before even posting something like this on Facebook, consider the ripple effect. Take a moment to think about how many lives this is touching, because it’s not only shared on social media. The RCMP issue a press release that is sent to newspapers like ours. Makes it seem a bit more real doesn’t it?
A lie, whether big or little, can get out of hand very quickly.
Just remember that.
