London Drugs says privacy laws bar it from sharing security video of violent crimes – BC

As B.C. businesses grapple with crime, violence and street disorder, the president of London Drugs says the company is “handcuffed” by privacy laws that bar it from sharing security footage of in-store assaults and violent shoplifting.

“The privacy commissioners take a very dim view of releasing surveillance to the public,” Clint Mahlman told Global News in an interview at the chain’s Woodwards location on Jan. 30. “I think if the public was to see what our staff deal with on a daily basis, they would be horrified and demand even more change faster than what they are now.”

While noting he is sympathetic to retailers and the rise in shoplifting they’re experiencing, B.C.’s Information and Privacy Commissioner said companies generally cannot disclose information to the public in a manner which is not consistent with the purpose for which they collected it.

“We value our privacy differently in British Columbia and …