Suspicious Activity

Identifying and reporting suspicious incidents help law enforcement and security agencies keep Canadians and Canada safe. It is important for frontline employees and the public to report anything they deem suspicious. Frontline employees are best placed to observe suspicious behaviours as they are familiar with their surroundings and know best what fits into their daily routine.

There are a number of indicators of terrorism and terrorism-related crime that Canadians can be on the look-out for:

Someone showing an unusual interest in or taking pictures/video of people, buildings, security features, or surrounding areas.

Someone trying to obtain or conduct training in security concepts.

Someone collecting materials such as cell phones, toxic substances, and weapons

Unauthorized people getting into a restricted area, system or protected site, or impersonating authorized personnel, which can include theft of uniforms or access badges

Damaging, manipulating, or breaking part of a facility, infrastructure, or sercured site

Interactions with, or challenges to personnel or systems that show physical, personnel or cyber security capabilities. This might look like suspicious items/packages, trying to get private information, and diversionary tactics.

Someone making or communicating a threat to harm or kill people or damage a facility, infrastructure, or secure site.

The presence of any single behaviour does not constitute a national security threat or other serious criminal activity. However, a cluster of behaviours may indicate suspicious activity worthy of in-depth examination. An occurrence may seem unimportant, but together, combined with other incident information, could be indicative of a greater threat. When an incident occurs or intelligence is received regarding a potential threat, early reporting to law enforcement is key to ensuring a timely response.

The “If You See Something, Say Something®” campaign respects the rights and privacy of citizens by emphasizing behaviour, rather than appearance, in identifying suspicious activity. Factors such as assumptions, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or religious affiliation are not suspicious. Partners should only report suspicious behaviours and situations, such as unattended bags, or packages or an individual breaking into a restricted area.