When and Where Do Assaults Happen?

When and where do assaults happen?  It is a question often asked during our training sessions.  The short answer? Anywhere and anytime.  A commonly held view is that assaults happen in “bad neighbourhoods”, when the victim is alone, and at night.  Accordingly, in these circumstances we are more alert, we pay more attention.  Consider, however, these following assaults in Toronto over the past 3 years.

• a shooting in Toronto’s “high end” Yorkville neighbourhood
• a daytime stabbing at the College subway
• a fatal stabbing at a Shopper’s Drug Mart at Bay and Wellington
• a stabbing near a police station in Scarborough

Regarding these attacks, consider that:

• Two of them occurred during the day,
• They occurred in very public areas with other people around – e.g. the College subway and the Shoppers during the day.
• They happened in areas deemed to be safe parts of the city.   In the latter case, near a police station where many of us would least expect an attack.  

We don’t want to be alarmist but simply want to highlight that the awareness of your surroundings is a habit that should not be limited by time and place.  Assailants have their own agendas and reasons (the why) and these don’t adhere to our notions of safe times and places.

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