Preparedness for when

calicocat

jk0 wrote: »

This is what you need ladies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6bKVHcyroQ

Now this I am liking.......


Way better than top of a Gaga perfume bottle.... .


I'm liking the spray glue too.

pineapple

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

But you cant base your decisions on how to live your life around the fact we have to share the planet with people like that.

Just to add my dog needs frequent outings and that includes a 'just before bedtime' pee stop. Now we would never go down dark alleys etc - unlike in films when they hear footsteps behind them and head for the nearest dodgy spot (why do they always do that :huh:). But she does have to go out so I don't have much choice in the matter anyway.

elona

Pineapple

It is like when the woman (usually blonde) hears noises so goes down to the dark cellar alone or else answers the door when they have just heard a dangerous criminal has escaped.

fuddle

It's like with everything - take steps to reduce your own risk. Go about your daily life, carry out tasks that you want or need to but be aware and take precautions.

As a young lass I could go out on a night out - not leave my drink unattended, stay with friends and be a reponsible drinker. It was all so I could be as safe as possible while still doing what it was that interested me at the time. Had I gone out with the attitude of 'sod it, no one is going to stop me having fun' been gung ho with where my drink was, left my friends and became alone and drank so much I wasn't able to keep my wits then I dread to think about what might have been.

For me the best defence is not putting myself in a position that could endanger me. Like Frugalsod alluded to, for me that doesn't mean being a hermit who is scared and frustrated, it means I go about my life as carefully as possible.

As a youngish women in a dom carer role I would often find myself alone in back streets of a Saturday night. I would be very aware of my environment, not step out of the customers property to get to my car without assessing that environment, have my phone and keys to hand (torch) and lock my car door on entry. For me awareness is the key with a mind that is able to think and act fast - not surrounding how to get out of a situation but how to prevent a situation as best as I can.

Karmacat

elona wrote: »

... or else answers the door when they have just heard a dangerous criminal has escaped.

To my shame, I sort of actually did that once upon a time, when I was young and foolish

My local post office was robbed at gunpoint, and the police sealed off all the surrounding streets - my house was inside the sealed off area. And I was expecting a counselling client, and although I knew about the robbery, when my doorbell rang, I just opened the door

When I watch dramas nowadays, I jeer along with everyone else of any sense when it happens, but I really did live my own version of it

moneyistooshorttomention

Karmacat wrote: »

To my shame, I sort of actually did that once upon a time, when I was young and foolish

My local post office was robbed at gunpoint, and the police sealed off all the surrounding streets - my house was inside the sealed off area. And I was expecting a counselling client, and although I knew about the robbery, when my doorbell rang, I just opened the door

When I watch dramas nowadays, I jeer along with everyone else of any sense when it happens, but I really did live my own version of it

Its easy to do that on auto pilot - so no point in being hard on yourself about it.

In my last house I had no way of knowing just who was outside my front door basically before answering it - so would just do so.

In this house - I can (and do) peer out through my windows first to see who it is. Mind you - having found my nfh neighbours were the ones ringing on the doorbell a few times has "trained" me into seeing whether its a "normal" caller or them first:rotfl:. Thinks this could be why they don't come calling any more

EDIT; One thought I've just remembered re personal safety is that I have read advice before now to deal with an attacker by doing something disgusting to put them off and I understand that has had some degree of success. For instance, deciding to "go to the loo" on the spot might have put off some of those men groping women in Cologne, etc. They wouldn't want to find their hands getting rather wet on them unexpectedly I think. Think I'll go and google as to how they would react to someone spitting in their face too ...

(just did - and spitting at someone is regarded as extreme insult in Arabic societies/sorta against the "Evil Eye").

fuddle

How about looking into how to increase our own effectiveness in terms of knowing how to use certain moves that can disable an attacker regardless of how strong a person is. It may be more beneficial in a dire situation than urinating or spitting. When I get more time later I will investigate for myself and if I find anything of interest I will pass on here for anyone interested.

daz278

due to the stiffer penalties for carrying knifes , theres been an increase in criminals using types of acid to attack people, using unattended prams and small kids holding a piece of paper to lure people in.... alll kinds of tricks....stay safe

pineapple

elona wrote: »

Pineapple

It is like when the woman (usually blonde) hears noises so goes down to the dark cellar alone o

They always do don't they or head for the loneliest spot they can find. It belongs with that other great mystery. Why does someone being pursued by a car run along the road instead of diving into the nearest shrubbery?

moneyistooshorttomention

Self-defence moves doubtless have some uses sometimes for some people. There are others who feel they just couldn't. Yes...I know I know that maybe I could just dig my fingernails into someones eyes or knee them where it would hurt most. In theory I would be perfectly prepared to - in practice I'm a little woman that didn't have that much physical strength when younger and don't fancy my chances of trying that.

Hence screaming, urinating, spraying something in their eyes, spitting are all things I feel quite confident I would remember how to do/be strong enough to do. I would feel reasonably confident that if I had a walking pole/heavy saucepan or similar to hand that I would be able to belt them one with it too - but walking along late at night that isn't that likely.