Feb 19 2009
Muggings on the rise in Edmonton
Personal thefts are up as high as 31 percent this year.
First off let me be clear I have no idea of what that stat means. As high as 31 percent? What are we breaking it down into regions.
Aside from that I would like to say that I do not teach the idea of safety enough. It’s one thing to learn how to fight, another thing entirely to avoid danger in the first place. Not wearing headsets in isolated places. Not keeping lots of money or valuables in site. Being aware of what’s going on around you. Things like that, simple things which make you a harder target.
I think I will have to start teaching classes about avoiding danger, not just kicking ass and taking names.
I have to assume they mean 31% greater than this time last year? I think that’s what I saw quoted in the paper this morning.
Very good call too—there is something to be said for developing a good gut feeling of where and how there might be danger and giving it a wide margin. Awareness is a handy skill, though it’s sad when we’re forced to start using the same rigorous preventative measures here in Canada that we do when traveling to more volatile countries.
On the plus side, the mugging increase may also bring a burst of natural selection which weeds out the genes for excessive public iPod and cellphone use… 😉
They might be extrapolating that number based on estimates of unreported incidents.
As for selection, the muggers will also have to evolve to keep up in some twisted Red Queen scenario. I don’t know if I want to deal with some sort of velocimugger who finds me easier prey than the iherds.
This may be true “One who knows”, but invariably we might find ourselves in an arms race to keep our martial skills above the cultural parasites that petty crime attracts.
Did anyone read the crap about certain indivduals wanting to ban the sale of large knives? As far as i am concerned this wont help the problem at all. Am i going to only be able to buy a 2 inch knife to cook with soon? Bottom line is if it isnt knives it will be something else. We cant ban everything. Maybe if more people took an interest in thier personal safety and learned how to avoid potentially dangerous situations, there would’nt be so many victims out there.
Yes I read this today. It is worth a completely new post.