Subj : All across Canada, unprecedented rise in theft To : George Pope From : August Abolins Date : Mon May 01 2023 08:39:00 Hello George Pope! ** On Sunday 30.04.23 - 15:42, George Pope wrote to August Abolins: >> The best I could do is get passed the suspect and lock the door >> until the police arrive. GP> Can you not perform a citizen's arrest of the shoplifter? I spoke up "Hey, stop.. theif!", that would only encourage them to exit the premises even faster. Not worth saying anything; I would be better off just getting to the door FIRST and go into lockown. GP> But beware of punks like I was, who amused myself on rare GP> occasion by seeming to conceal an item for the purpose of GP> stealing it, but either I didn't or I found a way to ditch GP> it before I exited the store, & got the hand on the GP> shoulder by security. Ditching? So.. you'd just let whatever you took drop to the floor or something? GP> I could put on a real show of righteous indignation for GP> those around me -- my only public acting experience. How did you explain your actions to security? GP> I think I only started because I was annoyed by a guard GP> following me like I was a shoplifter, when I had no GP> intention of doing so. . . I figured I'd teach a lesson GP> in assumption; I had so much fun performing I repeated on GP> occasion throughout town. A lot of people gather things from shops, even mine, when they are looking around. But the issue is when they use their coats or their own bags to carry. With the demise of shop-supplied plastic bags, this concern about self-supplied bags will be elevated. GP> I had my share of welts, but always only on my buttocks, GP> unlike my parents' generation, who would get them across GP> legs & back, as well. My dad explained that God put the GP> extra cushioning on the rear end to facilitate loving GP> discipline, without damaging the children. I never heard the "extra cushioning" excuse. But I certainly never lay still for a lashing and as a result got the belt or willow branches anywhere where dad found a target. GP> So tired of news stories like the time a car thief in GP> Vancouver was released on a few weekends of using the GP> ankle bracelet for house arrest after stealing his GP> 2,000th car. My first thought was I wanted to check that GP> judge's banking/spending history for the past few months. I would think that most theives are either enticed to steal (for drugs or money) ..and therefore, don't have any money themselves. So, when they end up in front of a judge, a fine is pointless. The perp is simply let go. GP> I'd've said, "Clearly you're not going to stop doing this GP> crime with normal sentences of 6-18 months in provincial GP> prisons, learning new tricks of your trade, so it's time GP> to up the ante, & see if that'll make you reconsider your GP> chosen vocation." I dunno.. perhaps commiting a crime is one way for a desparate homeless/druggie to get some shelter, even if it is in a jail. Further to that, wouldn't the jailed person be served food? GP> Lots of options out there: Labour to repay our provincial GP> insurer the money lost in paying off the claims for 2K GP> stolen cars comes to mind. What kind of labour? One way people "on assistance" avoid employment is to "be unemployable" and they do that by avoiding hygiene. GP> Let him walk around with his community with a sandwich GP> board for the time normally given as jail time to a car GP> thief, that says, "Beware; all I do is steal cars. Your GP> car is not safe when I'm around." Human Rights people would be on that case in a minute. GP> Some public shunning might help prevent a host of GP> criminals from getting started. Better to just post an image of the perp on a bulletin board or shop window. GP> I have far more respect for the 60-year-old alcoholic GP> panhandling outside the liquor store, who greets people GP> in a friendly manner & opens the door for those who are GP> much-laden, than these 20-year-old panhandlers who sprawl GP> on their backs across an entire sidewalk & DEMAND you GP> "gimme some money." There are stories at the LCBO where people simply walk out with the goods, and the employees don't stop them. GP> I get to know the homeless people in my community, & learn GP> their stories; most have a reasonable reason for being on GP> the streets; it's extremely rare to meet someone there by GP> choice who isn't actively working to improve his/her GP> circumstances. I know a few like that too, but maintaining employment does not seem to be their fort‚ nor interest. GP> I'd like to see it go further & have businesses post the GP> photos of those who have stolen or otherwise behaved GP> improperly, in every window, in a section by the door, GP> "These people are banned from this store for the crime GP> noted under their photos." & as the rest of the public GP> realize this is done to prevent unfairly penalizing all GP> with price increases to cover for thefts & insurance, GP> it'll be well praised & catch on elsewhere. . . Don't always have time to stop what I'm doing and try to snap a picture of someone in the act, and then produce posters. What I do now is disallow anyone carrying large hockey/sports bags and/or backpacks. They either have to leave them OUTSIDE or not come in at all. GP> Be well! Hope you're also starting to see lighter GP> temperatures & weather as we phase into summer It's been raining in my part of Ontario for 5 days straight. -- ../|ug --- OpenXP 5.0.57 * Origin: Stare into this point intently ->.<- (1:153/757.21) .