Commercial crime ‘issues aren’t going away’ Manitoba Tourism Education Council launches new training session on armed robbery response in workplace By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 5:13 PM CDT Thursday, Sep. 11, 2025

Haley Collen is no stranger to knives.

She’s not a police officer or chef — she’s a beer vendor manager in Winnipeg. And she’s among the customer-facing workers to say they’ve had a weapon pulled on them while on the job.

Armed robberies and violent encounters within the hospitality industry are a pressing issue, the head of the Manitoba Tourism Education Council says. And demand has led MTEC, a provincial sector council, to launch a training course on armed robbery response.

“It’s not something that we really know how to deal with,” Collen said. Violent attacks might come when an employee tries to prevent theft or when a pedestrian in psychosis enters, she continued.

She’s managed the Norwood Beer Store. Similar incidents are happening across the city. The latest to make headlines occurred at a Unicity Walmart last week; four teens were charged after an airgun was fired at a security guard.

Collen and fellow staff have attended a session on handling drug-altered people in their workplace. Now, she’s signed up for MTEC’s first armed robbery training course, to be held Sept. 24.

“Things have changed,” said Shannon Fontaine, MTEC chief executive. “You can be anywhere and this can happen to you.

“It’s not something that we really know how to deal with.”

“It’s really, really important about being aware of your surroundings.”

The Manitoba Tourism Education Council tapped two Winnipeg police officers — one active, one retired — to make an armed robbery training course, including a 45-minute video free to the public.

Topics cover prevention, how to respond during an attack and handle the aftermath, including victim trauma.

“At the end of the day, if one person does not get injured (because of) something they’ve learned from this training, it was all worth it,” Fontaine said.

She’s preparing for a three-hour in-person course on Sept. 24. The class, held at MTEC’s training quarters at 75 Scurfield Blvd., will blend the new training video with discussion.

Thirty-five people can physically attend; students will also participate via video call. The training video will be free on MTEC’s website. Another in-person session may come if demand is there, Fontaine said.

She’s clocked continued popularity for other crime- and drug-related courses MTEC (with titles including Retail Theft: Protecting Your Staff & Customers and Strategies for Combating Crime) has produced over the last two years.

“The response has been phenomenal, it really has, because the issues aren’t going away,” she said.

“Most retailers have grown accustomed to the constant barrage of retail crime.”

Crime remains a top issue for hotels and restaurants, Fontaine said. Armed robberies are the least common of retail crimes but also the greatest potential source of harm, said John Graham, the Retail Council of Canada’s director of government relations for the Prairies.

“Most retailers have grown accustomed to the constant barrage of retail crime,” he said, highlighting theft.

The Winnipeg Police Service doesn’t detail how many of its calls come from businesses. Overall reported violent crime slightly decreased in 2024 — 14,998 reports, a 1.4 per cent year-over-year drop. Still, it was higher than totals in 2019 through 2023.

Shoplifting increased 40.8 per cent year-over-year in 2024, the police service’s latest annual statistical report shows. (Shoplifting under $5,000 hit 8,530 calls, though many businesses don’t report all their losses.)

Retailers have turned to store design, technology (such as cameras) and staff training to prevent theft and violence, Graham noted. He’s part of a Manitoba retail crime task force developed to address the issue.

Last year, the provincial government cemented funding for 12 police officers focused on crime against business.

“It leaves us more optimistic about turning the tide on retail crime,” Graham said. “All of it needs to continue to be worked on.”

In some cases, thieves belong to organized crime units selling items online. Other cases involve “habitual” offenders who’ve made a career of theft, Graham said. “There remains a lot of frustration amongst the retail community about the lack of consequences as a deterrent,” he added.

Jagraj Singh has watched toilet paper, bread and charging cables leave his store without payment. He advises staff at 204 Convenience & Indian Grocery Mart to take a hands-off approach for safety.

“We’re defending this store, we have nothing,” he said, adding thieves don’t appear fearful.

De-escalation, and not intervening, are key teachings in MTEC’s courses, Fontaine said. The sector council spent roughly $7,000 on its armed robbery training.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com