Sidney/North Saanich RCMP have issued an updated statement regarding a suspicious white van seen on reserves in Greater Victoria.
On Friday September 27th Victoria Buzz reached out to police after receiving several reports of a suspicious white van allegedly carrying two men spotted on several First Nations reserves on the Saanich Peninsula.
See also: RCMP says white van spotted on First Nations reserves in Victoria poses “no risk to public”
At the time, Sidney RCMP spokesperson Cst. Meighan de Pass stated that the incident was under investigation and the van posed no risk to the public.
However since then, de Pass has retracted the statement, clarifying that she had been referring to a similar incident in which a Caucasian male in a white pickup truck was seen approaching First Nations women in the area.
That incident was resolved after a police investigation revealed that the individuals were known to each other, which is why she stated that the vehicle posed no threat to the public.
Clarification
“At the time of the media enquiry, there were no incidents reported to the Sidney North
Saanich RCMP in relation to a white van approaching young First Nations females in
any of the four First Nations communities in our jurisdiction,” de Pass stated in a media release.
She clarifies that a third party report about the white van was made after Victoria Buzz’s media enquiry.
This new report was regarding an incident in which two Caucasian males in a white van were seen driving suspiciously Central Saanich Road on the Tsawout First Nation.
Now that the report has been filed and police are investigating this incident, officers are looking to speak to anyone who saw this vehicle in the area.
Police ask that anyone with information about these incidents contact Sidney/North Saanich RCMP at 250-656-3931 and make a formal report.
Since these allegations first surfaced, Victoria Buzz has also reached out to West Shore RCMP and other outlets for further information.
