Cyber Bullying and General Information - Volume 1, March 2014 | Page 13

3. Cyber bullying investigations are time consuming. Investigations
into cybercrimes of all types are often lengthy because few police
resources are directed towards these investigations. Most cyber
bullying investigations will begin like any other investigation, and
when the police identify a suspect they will use traditional
approaches to try to obtain a confession. However, if these
traditional practices fail, cybercrime officers may become
involved in the case. Unfortunately, most cybercrime divisions
have limited resources and priority is usually given to the most
“serious” cases, such as those involving paedophiles and online
predators. Parents should be prepared for a lengthy investigation
when they involve the police, and they should remember that
continuously contacting officers to obtain updates will further
delay the investigation—any time that an officer spends talking
to parents is time they cannot spend on their investigation.
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4. Children under the age of 12 cannot be prosecuted. The
Criminal Code of Canada clearly states that no person under the
age of 12 can be convicted of a criminal offence. Therefore, most
elementary school-aged children in Canada are immune from
prosecution. Although the police can investigate cyber bullying
incidents involving bully’s under 12 years of age, their only
recourse is to file a report so that they have a record of the
behaviour should it continue in the future.

1. The police try to avoid the courts whenever possible. Even
when the accused is between 12- and 18-years-old, the
police usually try to avoid the courts whenever possible.
Instead, police officers prefer to use justice circles, conflict
resolution, and other diversionary approaches with youth
because these methods allow officers to more effectively
address the causes of the bully’s behaviour. Furthermore,
even if a youth cyber bully is formally charged and
convicted of a criminal offence, it is unlikely that the bully
will ever spend any time in jail.
2. Preventing cyber bullying is preferable to responding to it.
Related to the previous point, most officers prefer to
combat cyber bullying by teaching young people about
healthy relations online and offline and how to interact
safely and appropriately in digital environments. Many
officers are also willing to provide parents with strategies to
ensure their children are behaving safely and appropriately
in the electronic world.

There are few circumstances as stressful or maddening for a parent as learning that their child is being bullied. When parents learn that their child is
being cyber bullied, their own unfamiliarity with technology may make them unsure how to proceed. However, it is important that parents remember
they do not have to have all of the answers. A number of websites offer advice for parents, and parents should consider contacting their child’s school
and/or the police for support. Just as our children should never have to deal with cyber bullying on their own, parents do not have to respond on their
own. However, being aware of some of the challenges police officers face when investigating cyber bullying incidents and understanding the likely
outcome of investigations is helpful for setting realistic expectations about the consequences of police involvement.