Victoria police left notebook in hands of suspected criminal

Police in Victoria say a notebook containing personal information of 54 people was mistakenly left in the possession of a suspected criminal for eight days.

Police say an officer left the notebook behind after a search warrant was served in February.

In a written statement, police say the notebook was lost for eight days and was in the possession of a person known to police for "suspected criminal activity."

The breach comes about a year after Victoria police revealed that a lost police notebook containing 60 names and 50 addresses led to some personal information being "circulated among the criminal element" in the city.

The statement says officials conducted a risk analysis and found no reason to believe the situation has created any risks to the people whose information was exposed.

Police say they have notified everyone listed in the notebook as well as B.C.'s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, and out of an abundance of caution, have provided personal and home safety tips to anyone concerned.

In the previous incident, first reported in February 2023, a Victoria police officer lost a notebook and its contents were copied, passed around by criminals and allegedly used to commit a crime.

VicPD said in a statement, the "criminal element of Greater Victoria" was circulating info in the book and allegedly used it to commit an offence in Saanich.

"The significant breach of privacy that has occurred is unacceptable and on behalf of VicPD, I apologize to everyone impacted," VicPD Chief Del Manak said in a statement at the time.