Over the past several months there have been a number of violent attacks on taxicab drivers in the City of Winnipeg. Past efforts to increase training for drivers and the installation of partial shields has not reduced the violence against drivers. In fact, the violence has only worsened.
As a result of the increase in violence, discussion has started about installing full shields in cabs that would completely separate drivers from passengers and about installing “L” shaped shields that essentially wrap around a cab driver in their seat. While discussion about protection of cab drivers is important, little thought is being given as to how to actually stop the criminals who are causing the violence. Ultimately, that has to be the long-term solution.
The approach of ignoring the criminal and putting the entire onus of crime reduction on law abiding citizens is one the NDP government has practiced for years in Manitoba. When break and enters increased, they brought forward a program of handing out deadbolts to seniors so that they could lock themselves in their homes. A dramatic increase in auto theft brought about an immobilizer program that forced many car owners to install the anti-theft device.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with prevention programs aimed at reducing crimes of opportunity. The problem however is that the NDP government has been largely focused on measures that put the onus on the potential victims of crime to protect themselves with little attention paid to stopping those actually committing the crimes.
The results speak for themselves. Winnipeg and Manitoba lead the nation in most violent crime measures. The problem is getting worse not better.
The fact is that putting all of the focus on potential victims instead of criminals does not reduce crime. Asking people to lock themselves in their homes and not go into their neighborhood after dark or placing people into bullet proof bubbles when working with the public is hardly a crime fighting strategy. In many ways it signals defeat.
Only a sustained and unrelenting effort of ensuring that those who have a violent criminal history are obeying court orders and being kept in prison when they violate those orders is going to reduce crime and make cab drivers and everyone else who is susceptible to crime safer.
The results of 10 years of NDP soft on crime philosophy and putting the entire onus to reduce crime on victims has not worked. It has only made the problem worse. All Manitobans understand the need to take proactive measures to prevent crime but they also know that if action isn’t taken against those who are committing crime, the problem will only get worse, regardless of how many deadbolts, shields and immobilizers are installed.