The right to self defence

Time and time again the Police charge shop keepers who defend themselves against armed invaders. Remember Greg Carvill who was prosecuted for shooting a machete wielding invader. I suppose he should have just handed all his guns over to him.

Now we have Virender Singh who is being prosecuted for using a hockey stick against some armed intruders – they had a knife and fence paling and actually stabbed Singh and his cousin as they were trying to hold him down until Police came.

Store owners in parts of Auckland are terrified of being attacked. An Avondale dairy owner was stabbed in his neck and back yesterday. A nearby owner who has been robbed four times comments:

Mr Lochan, 61, said he had been robbed four times, and he was concerned that shopkeepers were not allowed to protect themselves.

“When we protect ourselves, we get charged – and if we don’t we get stabbed. What do we do?” he asked.

Also later in the story:

While police were investigating the stabbing, they were called to a store in nearby Bremner Ave, Mt Roskill, where two youths threatened a shop owner with a knife.

I think we may need a law change to make the right to self defence more explicit. Shop keepers are being shot and stabbed even if they co-operate.

UPDATE: MacDoctor below makes the point:

I almost choked when Sergeant Pizzini said to the media that Virender Singh should have dial 111. These are the same police who took 45 minutes to gain control of the scene and come to the “rescue” of the dying Navtej Singh, ensuring his death. If Austin Hemmings had smashed his briefcase into the face of his attacker, he may have survived, but would have promptly been arrested by this moron for using “excessive force”.

Sadly I think he may be right.