Keeping yourself – and your family and companions – safe and free from harm is all about observation and understanding of your immediate environment and the spatial awareness that informs your sense of approaching danger.
Some of those threats and dangers will come from events that are brewing in the natural, physical world but many might also take the shape of individuals – the bad guys (or girls).
Since it is important to observe and be aware of threats from whatever direction they may take, just how do you spot these people?
First Appearances
Keep your eyes wide open and simply observe – if you want to spot someone who has potentially bad intentions towards you, you need to be looking.
We’re often taught not to judge a book by its cover and that appearances can be deceptive – generally in the context of not letting your judgment be clouded by prejudice or simply the way someone is dressed or looks.
But, in terms of personal safety and protection, first appearances might certainly count for something. And, if it’s not appearance alone, then the individual’s body language alone can speak volumes.
An article on the website Active Response Training on the 27th of April 2020 details ways in which hand movements, changes in lower-body posture, arm movements, rate of breathing, and a “thousand-yard stare” can all give the game away – so be on the lookout for them.
Streetwise
Your mission is to keep yourself, and any companions, safe – so, look as though you mean it, look confident, in your bearing, the way you walk, your head up high, and purposeful.
Those are just some of the themes that come through in guidance issued by the Metropolitan Police on keeping yourself and your property safe on the streets – the environment where muggings and other opportunistic crimes are committed.
Make it clear that you know where you are going and – if it is an area with which you are not yet familiar, take the precaution of having worked out your route beforehand.
Along the way, keep obvious valuables, such as your wallet or mobile, well-hidden about your person.
Also, you can think about investing in some form of RFID bag or wallet. RFID Blocking technology protects your valuable information stored on RFID chips from unauthorised scans while you are on the go.
Crowd Alert
You might be inclined to feel safer in a crowd – surely, with so many people about, no one is going to commit any offence against you.
On the contrary, crowds are the pickpocket’s delight and favourite stomping ground.
Even when you are in a crowd, therefore, be especially wary of individuals who appear to get too close to you – especially, if they are carrying a newspaper, coat, or bag behind which they might be hiding their actions. And don’t keep your wallet, purse, or mobile phone in an open pocket. Carry your own bag or rucksack zippered and in front of you, with the strap preferably across your body.
The Hugger-Mugger
Bars, clubs, outside drinking areas, and other large gatherings are a great way to socialise and get to know other people.
Some of those individuals who seem to be making the friendliest overtures, though, might have anything but your enjoyment and contentment in mind – they are after stealing whatever valuables you have.
These are the so-called “hugger-muggers” who feign friendship to get close enough to pick your pocket or make off with your phone, wallet, or purse.
Protecting Yourself – and your pet
We’re only now beginning to emerge from some pretty bizarre and stressful times in which the coronavirus has imposed successive lockdowns and social isolation – not to mention thousands of deaths.
Just as bizarrely, these conditions have spawned yet other bad guys and girls that you need to beware of.
More people than usual have taken solace during these socially isolated time by giving a home to a beloved pet – and the demand for many breeds has pushed prices up, with the result that the pets have become targets for theft.
An article in The Guide Liverpool on the 11th of February 2021, for instance, revealed that while the number of dogs reported as stolen in the UK numbered 172 in 2019, in 2020 that figure had shot up to 465 at the same time as average prices for a puppy had increased from £888 to £1,883.
Although it might mean you changing the habits of a lifetime, when taking your dog for a walk, be wary of strangers who ask questions or make an undue fuss of your pet.
Be prepared to change the route you take each day for the walk and train your dog to come back to you when you call them away from anyone who appears to be taking too close an interest – alternatively, keep your dog on its lead when you are in an unfamiliar area.
Avoid going into shops where you must leave your dog tied up outside or even locked inside a well-ventilated car – thieves will break in to steal your pet.
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