Winnipeg Police share how to safely be a good Samaritan

For anyone who sees a dangerous situation or crime occurring and wants to help out, Constable Jay Murray with the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) is sharing what the best approach is.

"The first piece of advice we give people is to contact 9-1-1," says Murray. "If you see a robbery occurring, it's certainly the best advice we can provide."

Late Monday evening there was a robbery in progress in Winnipeg that a man and woman in their 50s came across. There was a female attempting to rob an elderly woman when the pair decided to step in and help. 

They ended up being assaulted which wound them both up in the hospital. 

"People have a hard time standing by when something like this is happening. We know that people are going to try and intervene. It happens and we certainly can't suggest that. You can see in situations like this sometimes it results in injuries, but we do understand why people do it."

WPS suggest people do not intervene, unless they feel safe to do so. 

"We have quite a bit of units that are always in the city at any given time and this also applies to areas outside of Winnipeg. You never know how close a police unit might be. A lot of times we're just a block or two away, you make that call, we'll quickly get that call answered and be on scene right away. We're equipped to deal with incidents like this."

If people see a dangerous incident or situation, there is something people can do after calling the police or 9-1-1. 

"Witnesses are incredible valuable in helping us solve investigations," says Murray. "If you see a crime or something you think is a crime or something suspicious, there's nothing wrong with grabbing your phone or notepad and documenting what you see."

Things like colour and type of clothing that the suspect is wearing, the car make, model, colour and even licence plate can all be helpful information to police. 

"We certainly recognize the role the public plays when it comes to assisting police or stopping crime. We don't want to fault these two individuals on what they did. I think it's incredibly tough to sit back and watch somebody get robbed. Unfortunately they ended up with injuries and it's not the advice we would give, but we can't fault them either. Calling police is the best option."