As Vancouver tries to clean up its post-riot streets and its image, the efforts of Good Samaritans are being celebrated in the news media and across social media.

Many rioters may be brought to justice as the public identifies them from cellphone photos and videos, and you can be sure the police and the courts will prosecute as an example to all.


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There's a maxim in criminology texts that applies to the post-Stanley Cup riots. Future police officers are taught that five per cent of the public will steal any time there's an opportunity and five per cent will never steal. The 90 per cent in the middle will steal if they believe there is no risk of getting caught.

Even a small measure of deterrence can go a long way to preventing illegal acts; that's why the 90 per cent of us in the mushy middle don't shoplift or ride home on someone else's bike.

The vast majority of us will not smash cars, start fires or loot stores if any form of authority is nearby. But that same majority will feel free to act out if the police are not around.

In the absence of police presence at the centre of the Vancouver riot storm, the nutty five per cent did what they wanted. The 90 per cent who felt no risk of arrest either joined in or stood back, providing the rioters with tacit peer approval and a physical blanket of protection the police couldn't penetrate without risk to themselves and many innocent people.

But the 90 per cent is now becoming part of the solution.

The public is helping to identify rioters and looters through special websites being set up solely for this purpose, and many are sending their own photos and videos to the Vancouver police department.

Videos of Good Samaritans who tried – and sometimes succeeded – in stopping the rioters from damaging property is uplifting to watch. These are people willing to act as the city's conscience while putting their own safety on the line. They will be celebrated and their courage will become a rallying point for Vancouverites sick of seeing their city lambasted in the world press.

The city's sense of community is also on display as citizens turn out to help clean up the damage. It's a small step, but a significant one if it makes people feel better connected to each other.


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There is other good news, beyond the Good Samaritans and the kissing couple. Deterrence is about making people think twice before they act. That's all it takes to make most of us act responsibly.

Surrounded by cellphone cameras and pocket video recorders, future would-be rioters will know they'll be on the six o'clock news tomorrow and likely in the courtroom at a later date.

The Vancouver police and B.C.'s judges will play a big part in creating the perception of risk for anyone considering rioting or looting in the future.

We can expect judges in Vancouver to dish out very stiff penalties if they get the chance to sentence anyone found guilty of rioting or looting. Very public prosecutions of those identified from videos and photos will be remembered for a generation.

Why has Vancouver become a hotspot for rioting?

And will the risk of being caught on video reduce future incidents?