Peace bonds

Section 810 peace bonds are preventative court orders requiring an individual to agree to specific conditions to keep the peace. These instruments are available to police to protect the public before a criminal offence has been committed.

First appearing in the Canadian Criminal Code in 1892, they were a codified version of the common law peace bond available to magistrates to order individuals likely to commit property offences to "keep the peace". The instrument has evolved to also target individuals who are likely to commit violent or sexual offences.