MINTO – LaunchIt Minto is welcoming business owners to attend a three-part educational crime prevention series focused on the safety of those in public facing careers.
The online sessions will begin on March 12 from 12 to 1pm. The business centre will be hosting the events, while Workplace Safety and Prevention Services (WSPS) industry partnerships agriculture account manager Shawn Chadwick, shares safety tips and information.
The sessions have been built from a retail safety guide developed by WSPS in partnership with the Retail Council of Canada (RCC) and Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. The document addresses the escalation in retail related theft, incidents in the workplace and ways to combat them.
“A lot of retail shops are also small businesses … that don’t have access to a health and safety department,” Chadwick told the Advertiser.
The first session is focused on de-escalation techniques in uncomfortable situations. Chadwick speaks on how to recognize a situation could be escalating through four different stages.
“The main point of it is how to effectively train your staff to handle difficult customers or difficult situations,” he explained. “Similar to how we have fire drills and fire safety.”
He noted the presentation is catered towards business owners, not-for-profits and their operations.
According to the RCC, on average retail thefts have risen about 300 per cent since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
“Those thefts have also been accompanied by a rise in abusive behaviour, which is one reason police advise against confronting a suspected thief directly,” RCC officials stated.
Each session will include 45 minutes of content with a discussion and question period afterwards.
“It’s not if this could happen, it’s when this happens are we prepared,” he said.
The other two events are on:
- April 16, focusing on developing an emergency preparedness plan; and
- May 21, focusing on environmental design.
All sessions can be found at launchitminto.com/events, and are free to attend.
