Difficulty obtaining a peace bond has Kamloops woman looking for answers

In Canada, a protection order (restraining order) is usually intended to protect an individual from a family member or ex-spouse, which does not apply to Moore.

“I thought that, you know, the law is the law and that I would be protected,” said Moore. “But no, that’s not how it works.”

Over the last year-and-a-half, she’s gone to Kamloops RCMP on multiple occasions, attempting to get a peace bond. However, RCMP officers did not forward proper documents to Crown, leaving Moore feeling let down by the system.

“I was sent back and forth, back and forth, back and forth,” she said.

In February of this year, Jeff Pelley, superintendent of Kamloops RCMP, apologized to Moore, saying juniour officers were incorrectly directing clients to the courthouse for peace bond applications.

“I would like to assure you that upon being notified of this issue by Kamloops Crown counsel, immediate steps were taken at the Kamloops RCMP detachment to address this misunderstanding amongst these officers to improve their understanding of the peace bond process,” Pelley wrote in a letter addressed to Moore.

However, Moore says the apology fell flat when she found herself in the same situation six months down the road.

“By going public like this, I’m hoping that the superintendent of RCMP will realize that even though a letter of apology was wonderful and he heard me,” Moore told CFJC News, “obviously his department is not hearing him. He needs to make sure that his police officers know the policies and know and to take women – everyone – seriously.”

Supt. Pelley was unavailable to be interviewed at the time CFJC News requested. However, spokesperson for Kamloops RCMP, Cpl. Crystal Evelyn, says peace bonds are not intended for emergency protection.

“If somebody is feeling unsafe and especially if it’s an emergency, then please call 911 and we can discuss that,” said Evelyn. “But because peace bonds are not intended to deal with emergencies, it can take months to obtain (one) because every investigation is different and they have various factors involved.”

Evelyn says a peace bond is often used to keep an offender away from a victim after a crime has already been committed.

Laura Evans, a community-based victim services worker at Kamloops Sexual Assault Counselling Centre says once in place, peace bonds are often very effective.

“If [the subject is] breaching these terms, there’s a risk that they could be arrested and put in jail,” said Evans. “And that’s a significant threat hanging over the head of a potential offender.”

Information on legal protection avenues can be found online. Options for survivors are very few and for those who feel unsafe, navigating the system can be a daunting task.

“It certainly is confusing for survivors,” said Evans. “And really, [a survivor’s] only goal is just to stay safe. They don’t want to have to navigate the justice system to get it.”

As for Moore, she hopes her story will spark change in how peace bond issues are handled.

“It’s not only for me, it’s for every other woman or individual out there that will get hurt, because even in my situation,” said Moore. “I would say that it would just be a matter of time before I would get hurt.”

by Sydney Chisholm

Difficulty obtaining a peace bond has Kamloops woman looking for answers

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