Quote:
Originally Posted by bomberjet
What are they going to do with the bats though. A person is running out the store with arms full of meat. They're going to whack them on the leg? That's assault with a weapon, unfortunately.. only thing it would be good for is if the perp has a weapon. Now your employees are in an armed fight in your store.
Better to have something to defend yourself of course. Just a lot of risk for an employer to be doing that, something happens. Someone dies..
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Restraint and barrier to exit was my first thought that came to mind, but obviously, can just be a melee weapon too. Appropriate force is allowed, if I remember the law correctly. For example, they could try and prevent exit with the bats, plus defensive purposes. That leaves the meat robber two options: walk out free and "stuff please", or escalation. Robber escalates, most likely with bare hands, a melee weapon of his own, rubber chicken, etc etc. Then comes justifiable and reasonable force. Not an excuse to beat the criminal into a coma... but reasonable force to potentially detain and arrest (citizens) is already allowed under law. WPS has publicly advertised against it, but under federal law, I believe its allowed if theres reasonable force, and a very good reason why (example: if the thief threatens community safety, safety of others, threat to self, etc). So not in the Bar Italia shitkicking terms... but reasonable force and self defense are legally allowed. As long as it's responsible, and just enough force to counter-act the aggressor & render the situation secure & peaceful.
As for Foodfare, most of the staff are Zeid family, or recent immigrants from war-torn Syria & such. When someone just escaped Syria or Afghanistan, just to start work there and get threatened by a junkie with a weapon, that would be enough to set off the employee into panic attacks, if not worse. So looking at the wider situation, plus obvious financial and security concerns, I could see why Foodfare is now arming their employees. Plus don't forget too (i think you told me this one yourself), didn't an employee get shot in the face outside of a Foodfare, for trying to catch a thief? That might destroy my whole argument, but the point is, something like that NEVER disappears... that might be another reason too, why the owner of Foodfare is taking a stand too. Employees should be able to defend themselves, and he should be allowed to make a living, in probably the ONLY grocery offerings within central Winnipeg.
Long story short: lets just see what happens, but it's not like they didn't sit down & deliberate this out. I knew the Zeid's from school - granted I didn't get along with them as a kid, but they DO take serious consideration into what they do, and they don't piss around either. I think they have accurate judgement.
But Winnipeg retail as a whole? This might be an invitation for retailers to start bearing arms. If not arms, then hired "help" with Harleys, security guards en masse, vigilantism, locking doors during all business hours, taking their businesses outside of the Perimeter, discrimination, LA 1992-style riots... if Foodfare brings the Louisville Sluggers to play, and it deters, great! But every single retailer inside the city, getting the war chest? I do agree, thats a serious concern... but it's a concern that could've been avoided, by the three levels of government, WPS and private sector investment. Or in this case - private security, with MUCH higher physical fitness, bravery and a Walker, Texas Ranger mindset. If there's a security guard completely ripped, all black, Doc Martens, armed with bare hands, 100+ IQ and a clipboard for blacklisting, that is a proper deterrent. So imagine a couple dozen of them, goose-stepping around Polo or Outlets, with WPS and off-duty RCMP to back them up.
Give incentives to peace officers to shop at Cadillac Fairview too. Or better yet, Chinook Centre in Calgary has a cop shop. Works wonders. Get CF into talks with WPS, to open a small detachment within the mall. Let said detachment cover all of Polo Park, along with everywhere along St James, Empress, and Portage west, towards Ferry. CF earns WPS rent money. WPS secures the area and oversees private security (aka, no abuses of power, illegal racial bias, or any tomfoolery by Paul Blart or John Wayne). Private security, replacing the off-duty cops, now numbers in the DOZENS, running through Polo Park, shrinking theft losses drastically, and making Polo the most secure mall, in the history of shopping malls.
Problem would be solved, and then some too, especially with WPS being able to respond to Polo and Ellice/Sargent incidents within not even 60 seconds... crime would cease to function. Literally. And if crime does persist, well with tons of private security and WPS on site, resistance is futile.
Plus maybe, just maybe - Pallister can up the security guard standards...? How hard can it be to legislate, that security guards need to be physically fit, willing, and under legal authority to intervene, yet legal consequences if they just twiddle their thumbs and do jackshit during a situation? Because just standing around watching a woman get punched at the LC, is the exact opposite of the term "security". If Manny can't figure it out and hire *actual* security, then maybe the LC should just be abolished and privatized, and the MLCC proceeds can go to stock reimbursement, lawsuits, WCB claims, and AFM initiatives. Food for thought?