2nd Victoria Police notebook containing personal information ‘misplaced’

The Victoria Police Department says it’s contacting 54 people whose names or personal information appeared in a notebook that was “misplaced” by an officer recently.

The department tells CityNews an officer lost the notebook in February.

Police say the item has since been recovered and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) has been informed.

“All persons whose information appeared in the notebook were related to police investigations,” Victoria police explained.

“We have conducted a risk assessment, and have no reason to believe there is risk to any person whose information appeared in this notebook, but we have notified them of the privacy breach, in line with policy, and out of an abundance of caution provided personal safety tips for anyone who is concerned. We understand that any breach of privacy is concerning, and we apologize.”

The department has told other outlets the notebook was left at the scene of a search warrant, and that it was “temporarily” in the hands of a person “who is known to police for suspected criminal activity.”

This is the second time a Victoria Police notebook has been misplaced. The department apologized in February 2023 after a notebook containing approximately 60 names and 50 addresses within the Victoria area — all related to police investigations — was lost in December 2022.

At the time, police said they believed the contents of the notebook were copied and circulated among criminals, adding that information may have been used as part of a criminal offence in Saanich. Authorities could not say when the crime took place but confirmed nobody was hurt.

Investigators said the notebook was lost for a five-day span and was not reported missing at the time. The department added it was notified of the loss in February of last year.

In its latest statement, the Victoria Police Department says it updated its notebook policy last April, following the 2022 mishap.

“Members, staff, or volunteers including Special Municipal Constables and Reserve Constables shall report a lost, found, or damaged notebook to a supervisor as soon as practicable. In this case, the member followed the policy by notifying the chain of command as soon as they realized the notebook had been misplaced,” police explained.

“We also recognize that incidents like this could be mitigated with technology, and we are actively researching a digital solution to paper notebooks in hopes of reducing the risk and impact of misplacement in the future.”

-With files from Cole Schisler