Porch Pirates

[Jacob]

I'm of a different opinion, having dabbled in a little courier work recently it's not as clear as you believe.
Trying to carry out a paid by parcel job with any degree of meeting (let alone exceeding) minimum wage, is nigh on impossible without some exceedingly efficient delivery methods.
Countless are the times I've had someone sitting in their living room watching me knock at the door without so much as moving an inch. You end up knocking and placing parcel and moving with haste onto the next delivery. It's unfortunately the only way to make it even close to being financially viable.
It's not like the days of royal mail who are paid hourly where you can have a little chat with each customer and be the friendly delivery guy. Don't get me wrong, I was always pleasant and tried to be professional, but the pay is so ludicrously poor, and then you have to take into account the costs involved. And then you get the deliver to safe place request "leave parcel in greenhouse" amd you find the greenhouse is 200 metres into their back garden. And they've ordered 5 bags of 20kg compost.
It's really no money spinner apart from for the owners of the business. And if something does go wrong, they penalise the driver making that already poor pay even worse. I now look on the couriers with far more respect.
We can all judge from the sideline, the whole "walk a mile in my shoes" really does offer a degree of appreciation here.

Well yes if the conditions you have to work under are such, then the employer is responsible, not the employee.
Hence unions, legislation/regulation around work...etc etc.

 

[Jacob]

Yes - and anyone with a legal held gun in a gun cabinet should fit the cabinet to an upstairs wall, like in the master bedroom wardrobe, to ensure if there is ever a break-in the guns are harder for the perp to access . . .

Shooting a porch pirate is the stuff of US Youtube channels though

Statistics show that simply owning a gun increases the likelihood of yourself or someone near you getting shot "accidentally". The chances of you scaring off an intruder much less likely, still less the chances of winning a gunfight with one.
My nearest experience was at a bonfire party on a farm nearby. Everybody having a good time, kids running about, drinks going down, fireworks going up.
Sudden shriek "put that down" and mass panic, as some kids pointed a shotgun at the crowd, from an upstairs window.
They had found it when wandering about the house. The shrieking farmer knew it was loaded. He kept it under his bed "just in case", the tw at.
Luckily they didn't pull the trigger.

 

[duke]

On a slight tangent regarding police intervention, two of our fields are separated by a unused rail bed. We have about 7 acres fenced in for the dogs and a portion of their run is along the rail bed. The missus will sometimes walk with them, well when she was walking along the rail bed section she was in her words shot at. So she entered on to the rail bed which by law we can and confronted the hunters. Scared the s---t out of them, she read them the riot act, nobody other than property owners and snowmobile club members can use the railway bed, (winter use for them only). She took their plate number as they quickly left.
I called the MNR (ministry of natural resources) all of their officers were busy, called OPP (Ontario provincial police), They told me that unless there is an incident of harm they don't respond. I said rubbish, asked for his badge number and name, gave him the plate number and told him if you don't call me back in two days I will call back.
He did call back, tracked them down and only gave them a stern warming about losing the fire arms and atv etc.

When I asked again what is an incident, he said that if someone was shot etc then they would respond!
Wow talk about proactive police work.

 

[SeeO2]

I worked with someone who could never resist stealing other people's food. One day he ate a whole bar of laxative chocolate that had been left in the staff room without its outer wrapper. He walked with his knees together for a week.

Reminds me of the pharmacist who sold a packet of laxatives to a chap with a hacking cough on the grounds he wouldn’t dare cough.

 

[Majimoto]

I used to have a bat by the door for just in case until my godson who is a MET officer pointed out that having it there for protection shows intent and pre meditation should I ever use it, he also suggested that if I do intend to keep it there I should put a knee length sock over it so if an attacker was to grab it they would only pull the sock off.

I love his admonition about the bat as a potential weapon, and promptly advises best use !!
Of course, you only have it beside the door to be able to join in the local kids street cricket,/rounders/baseball or whatever. Good neighbourly action!!!

 

[simonridout]

The police in UK have shot themselves in both feet at the same time. Their exemplary tracking down rioters, collecting evidence to enable the CPS to successfully prosecute shows what can be done. Not to do the same with shoplifters etc shows a lack of will and leadership from the Police and Crime Commissioner, an elected official.

 

[niemeyjt]

Indeed - two-tier policing was never more evident.

Threaten the state and get arrested the next day. Threaten others, and wait months or years, if at all for justice.

There was said to be a pact between the State and individuals - surrender your weapons and the State will protect you. Methinks the State is failing to uphold its part of the agreement.

 

[mg123]

Well yes if the conditions you have to work under are such, then the employer is responsible, not the employee.
Hence unions, legislation/regulation around work...etc etc.

It would be nice if some unions were more present in the courier world. However, they majority are self employed contractors (hardly real self employed work, but that's a topic for another day), so it's not particularly feasible.

 

[Kittyhawk]

We can all judge from the sideline, the whole "walk a mile in my shoes" really does offer a degree of appreciation here.

Wholeheartedly agree.
Workers today face a raft of dangers from others that no amount of laws, policing, unions etc can lessen and therefore, personal safety is largely in one's own hands.
As a former ambo mainly doing night shifts I was constantly alert to what the ambulance service politely called 'situational awareness', this due to the growing propensity amongst certain sectors of the community to regard ambos as fair game on which to vent their aggression. Fortunately I was usually able to talk my way out of trouble and only ever got physically assaulted once but there it is. Do you do your job and render possibly life saving care in a challenging environment or do you look after number one and leave them to their fate. People doing their job shouldn't have to make this choice. I opted for the former and prepared accordingly. And if pushing the boundaries of what the law allows in the way of self defence, too bad.

 

[duke]

And then the police will take an interest.. and you and your wife will be prosecuted.

Freind of mine plagued by robberies at a farm discharged his shotgun into the ground to scare them off..nil action re the thieves, but a warning for my friend.
The police do what is easy rather than what is right in these circumstances.

Maybe but much worse has happened to thieves around here, we have many kilometres of logging roads around here. The perp will not be found.

 

[Blackswanwood]

Maybe but much worse has happened to thieves around here, we have many kilometres of logging roads around here. The perp will not be found.

Does Canada have similar laws to the US in terms of what constitutes reasonable force to protect your property Duke?

I was in Louisiana last week and took an airboat trip into the swamps to see the gators. The guide said pretty much the same as you.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

As a former ambo mainly doing night shifts I was constantly alert to what the ambulance service politely called 'situational awareness', this due to the growing propensity amongst certain sectors of the community to regard ambos as fair game on which to vent their aggression ...

I had a relative by marriage who was an ambulance man. My mother asked him one day if he ever got any trouble and he replied no, I just lay them out and throw them in the back. I suspect that approach would be frowned upon today.

 

[TheUnicorn]

I tend to agree with MG123 above, plenty wrong with the system and the fault is mostly at the top, driver just trying to put keep their underpaid job etc. however it is particuarly annoying when you get an email saying your parcel has been handed to the addresee, only to find it has been left on your doorstep in the rain.

 

[stuart little]

Doesn't fly.
Paramilitary style boots are issued to serving ambos by the ambulance service for officers' safety on the job - together with courses on self defence using said boots should the occasion arise. Should boots be declared an offensive weapon?
I need the aid of a walking stick due to an old injury. You will find numerous videos online on using a walking stick as a defensive weapon. Perhaps we should ban them, too! You could even use a sharpened pencil in your defence, and I would if I had one on me and the need arose. Dang, I've just published my evil intent - again! My neighbour is a policeman and he knows about the fancy keychain. He says since it does not fall under the category of sharp, pointed or concealed offensive weapons it can be carried with impunity and should you use it in your own defence they have no more interest in it than a man whacking an assailant with a fist or a lady clouting a mugger with her handbag.

"Thinks - could I convert my walking stick to a 'sword-stick?" or ??

 

[Bingy man]

My x,s daughter has just been sent down for 5 1/2 years for supplying class a drugs , 4 houses next to each other were under surveillance for 18months ,, a total of 79 undercover officers were sold class a,s from these 4 council property’s , thousands of photographs, videos etc and statements. She pleaded guilty back in early 2021 as did several of her fellow criminals. Point is an 18 month investigation + several years of court attendances with cast iron evidence and it takes all this time to bring these criminals to justice. They actually had their sentences reduced by 20% due to the time taken .ain’t no way the police will investigate low level crime -begging, shoplifting even burglary. As said above it’s the Wild West , dog shoot dog, thug stab’s victim ( with victims knife ) and it will only get worse..

 

[duke]

Does Canada have similar laws to the US in terms of what constitutes reasonable force to protect your property Duke?

I was in Louisiana last week and took an airboat trip into the swamps to see the gators. The guide said pretty much the same as you.

Not sure, but I believe the reasonable force to protect your property applies.
Did you enjoy your trip into the swamps. In 1987 we did a tri state tour, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi in the dead of summer, talk about humid!