Bus passenger snaps picture of suspected voyeur

Suspected bus voyeur caught on camera Transit police have launched an investigation after a woman reported a man on a bus taking photos up her skirt.

A Vancouver woman who called out a man on the bus for allegedly taking pictures up her skirt says she's pleased with the way transit police have handled her case.

Kezia Addison was riding the number 19 bus coming from Stanley Park last Wednesday when she heard a clicking sound.

"That sort of drew my attention from the window to the passenger sitting sort of in front of me," she told CTV News Tuesday. "And I found a (cellphone) camera pointed directly at my knees."

At first, she was shocked at the idea a fellow passenger was taking voyeuristic photos of her. But then she confronted him.

"I said to him right away, 'You just took a photograph of me. You can't take photographs of me.'"

When she asked to see his photos, she said, the man showed her his phone but not his camera roll.

She decided to snap a photo of him in return.

But it was only at the urging of a co-worker that she decided to file a police report.

"It didn't really occur to me at the time," Addison said. "Maybe it was just part of my state of shock and feeling so violated that I just wanted to hide about it a little bit."

But she said once she reported it, the response from transit police was swift and supportive.

Within 20 minutes of making her initial report, an officer had phoned her back to hear her story.

"He never once doubted me or made me feel questioned at all," she said. "It helped me feel a bit more in control of the situation."

Sgt. Clint Hampton, a media relations officer for the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, said responding effectively to sexual offences is one of the force's four priorities.

"I think we're very aware of how difficult this can be for individuals to report," he said. "I'm happy to hear that she did report the incident so we can start our investigation."

He confirmed police are investigating an incident on a bus from Stanley Park involving a victim who felt a person had taken a photo "toward her groin area." He said the investigation will involve collecting video evidence, speaking to witnesses and getting a statement from the victim.

"We have people that ride the system every day without issue. But it does happen and it's something that we take seriously and investigate thoroughly," he said.

In addition to calling transit police to make a report, riders can also text a dispatcher at 87-77-77 to file a report more discreetly.

Addison said the incident has taught her to keep vigilant in public. She encouraged other women to report an incident like what happened to her—even if it's just a hunch.

"Even if you're suspicious, you should mention it to the bus driver so they can flag the (security) footage on the bus right away," she said.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos