By Sarah Wallace

New technology brings new ways of torment

May 6, 2013 | 6:10 AM

One might think that by 2013 bullying might have been a thing of the past, but with new technology being created around every corner it makes it easier for bullies to do what they do best—torment.

Prince Albert’s Police Chief Troy Cooper said with technology advancing the way it has over the last 15 years they have seen some complaints come in from the public relating to new technology.

“When instant messaging became popular we had complaints about that … what we would call traditional bullying or traditional harassment just moved into an electronic format. As the technology changes the same sort of criminal offence or the same offending pattern just becomes part of that new technology,” Cooper said.

Whatever happens with technology, whether if it’s with things like Facebook, Instagram, MySpace or blogging, Cooper said some people tend to use that media for harassment.

He said when complaints come in they may not be necessarily criminal in nature, but those complaining may not know if it’s criminal or not. All they know is that they’re frightened for the safety of their child.

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“Often times we can deal with things that aren’t criminal through the school system or through working with the parents. But if there’s a criminal act that’s occurred we use whatever tools we have currently available to us to investigate that; whether it’s a criminal harassment or something like that, uttering threats,” Cooper explained.

He said there is currently existing legislation to handle the criminal component of cyberbullying but wherever it’s not criminal they speak with the parents and the schools and address it that way.

The Prince Albert Police Service has working relationships with the schools in the city to help when situations of bullying happen, regardless of what kind of bullying it is.

“I don’t think we’ve had an increase in bullying, in fact I think quite likely we’ve had a decrease in bullying behavior but it’s just now a different way for kids to access each other, to communicate 24 hours a day instead of just the few hours that their supposed to be together at school,” said Cooper.

“This has been an issue for us ever since technology has allowed that to happen and it has been for the last 15 years or so.”

Charges in cases like cyberbullying depend on the extent and nature of the issue.

“We could lay charges of uttering threats, we could lay charges of criminal harassment depending on the nature of the communication,” Cooper explained.

Cooper said when it comes to passing around intimate pictures, those passing it around could be charged with harassment.

“The laws surrounding intimate photos currently are focused on pornography and child pornography and that’s usually not the case or the intent when people are sharing photos, they tend to be doing it more from a harassment perspective when it is criminal, and it’s not always criminal,” Cooper said.

“But when it is [criminal], it would be something we’d have to deal with through cumbersome legislation that exists now, there’s nothing that specifically addresses that kind of offence.”

Cooper said the way the world communicates is changing, both for the positive and negative.

People have easy access to each and more frequent access to each other than we did before and young people are also having more access to each other that wasn’t available before.

Cooper said as technology changes it not only has an impact on harassment and bullying, but it also has an impact on crime, investigation crime and the types of offences that occur.

swallace@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahthesquid