Preparedness for when

elaine241

Interesting discussion re being attacked.
When I was younger I lived in a rough area of Brighton and often walked home alone in the early hours, especially if I had been working in a bar.
I used to take my noisy click clack heels off and either walk barefoot or have a pair of ballet type pumps in my bag. I used to walk down the centre of the road ( residential usually quiet) rather than along the pavement where some one could jump out at me from behind a car or from a basement flats stairs. I always carried my keys ready so that I could get into my flat quickly or stab someone in the eyes/face as they were always through my fingers. In my other hand I carried a tin of impulse body spray, very small and fitted into the hand bag. A spray in the eyes with that stuff would not be pleasant! Some of the dodgy streets I had to walk down I would stop at the end for a moment and just watch and listen, anything worrying I would walk a different route. To be honest I often listened to my gut instinct as to wether to go that way!!

Fast forward 30 years and I still do something similar walking from my office to my car. Centre of Newport can attract all sorts of dodgy characters especially it seems when offices are finishing work. I carry my car key in my hand ready to stab if required. I definately keep a very close eye out for dodgy characters, keep my bag close to my body with the strap over my shoulder. I have turned off the inside light of my car so it doesnt light up a single woman in a car when I get in. As soon as I am in the car I lock all doors to prevent someone trying to get in. The other day a man started shouting at me for parking in a residents road ( he didnt even have a car!), I ignored him and jumped in my car. He ran accross the road and pulled open the passenger door beore I had chance to lock it. I just kept repeating "get out" in a very loud but authorative tone, not responding to anything he said. I then grabbed my phone and said I was dialling the police, he ran off! I did not panic or start screaming but stayed very calm and used what my sister calls my scary voice!lol

As for the legality of carrying car keys as weapons, aerosol spray etc I really dont care if its against the law. I would rather risk taking the rap/warning/charge from the powers that be than go without them. I carry a penknife in my bag along with a mini survival kit. I have a heavy Mag light torch in the car by my seat, not even sure if it still works but it makes one hell of a club! I was advised by a policeman to keep one in the car! I have its baby brother somewhere but dont carry it at the moment.
I feel that being aware of your surroundings when walking through a crowded or potentially dangerous area is the best form of defence. So many people seem to walk around in a daze or glued to their mobiles totally oblivious to anything or anyone near them.

Any way I have warbled on long enough! I know some may not agree with my attitude to carrying "weapons" and they are entitled to that. Me I will always carry something that will enable me to defend myself wether legal or not.

nuatha

ivyleaf wrote: »

Personally I would have great difficulty getting back up even if I hadn't been attacked :eek:

If you're in that sort of situation, get your back to a wall.
Personal experience, if you go down, no matter how well you curl up in a ball to protect your face, stomach and groin, the targets tend to be your head, kidneys and ankles - I can type this because someone called the police and they responded quickly.
If at all possible stay on your feet, if not get back to them, having gone down I made the mistake of trying to grapple from the ground - a well practised tactic from martial arts - unfortunately it was completely the wrong thing to do.

GreyQueen wrote: »

You would surprise yourself at what you can do if pumped on adrenaline. I once leapt three foot vertically from a hole in a bog which was filled with freezing cold peaty water; I'd stood on what looked like solid ground which gave way under me. With a 40 lb pack on. Just bounced up by disgusted reflex. If I'd stopped to think about it, I would have really struggled to extricate myself. Which would have been fun as I was up a mountain at the time.

With or without training the body is remarkably good at doing what is necessary, stopping to think about it is more likely to cause further problems.

elaine241 wrote: »

When I was younger I lived in a rough area of Brighton and often walked home alone in the early hours, especially if I had been working in a bar. . .
I always carried my keys ready so that I could get into my flat quickly or stab someone in the eyes/face as they were always through my fingers. In my other hand I carried a tin of impulse body spray, very small and fitted into the hand bag. A spray in the eyes with that stuff would not be pleasant! Some of the dodgy streets I had to walk down I would stop at the end for a moment and just watch and listen, anything worrying I would walk a different route. To be honest I often listened to my gut instinct as to wether to go that way!!

Fast forward 30 years and I still do something similar walking from my office to my car. . .

As for the legality of carrying car keys as weapons, aerosol spray etc I really dont care if its against the law. I would rather risk taking the rap/warning/charge from the powers that be than go without them. I carry a penknife in my bag along with a mini survival kit. I have a heavy Mag light torch in the car by my seat, not even sure if it still works but it makes one hell of a club! I was advised by a policeman to keep one in the car! I have its baby brother somewhere but dont carry it at the moment.

As long as you have a legally acceptable reason for what you are carrying then you are generally ok.
I've carried swords in public, with the knowledge and blessing of the police. I've been stopped by the police and had a case of knives in the car - returning from helping out in a professional kitchen. But generally they'd be regarded as offensive weapons and therefore illegal. Keys and deodorant are perfectly reasonable things to carry and wouldn't normally be regarded as "going equipped."

[Deleted User]

greenbee wrote: »

while shouting 'Help, Stranger' very loudly.

I understand the best way to draw attention, if being attacked, is not to shout "Help" or "Rape", but rather "FIRE".

GreyQueen

elaine, as a young student several hundred miles from home, I was often out very late at night, wasn't at all uncommon for me to walking home alone at 4 am in the morning in a huge city. I also used to walk down the centre line of the streets and for just the same reasons as you.

I figured that I would have several seconds to see anyone crossing open ground towards me if it came to it.

There are several blind corners around Shoebox Towers and you never know what might be around there, even in the middle of the day; a druggie shooting up/ freebasing, a drug deal going down, public sex, all sorts. I always walk around very lightly, and am very alert coming around corners. If I see something I don't like, I'll pull a silent 180 and head off in another direction.

The Towers is a physically-complex neighbourhood and experienced police officers bring newbies down here. I've seen and heard them being walked through the 'hood and being told and shown all the little shortcuts and cut-throughs. I overheard one old hand tell his newbie that it was an effing maze down here.:rotfl:

All my life, I have detested noisy shoes. I don't just mean high heels, but any shoes which you can't walk silently in. Walking silently is a useful tactic to cultivate, I find.

Karmacat

Really useful discussion, thank you all. I definitely need to buy a little aerosol of deoderant ...

moneyistooshorttomention

I'm inclining distinctly towards a small aerosol deodorant (carried in the hand of course) being the single most useful thing a woman could do to protect herself.

I deliberately don't use aerosols and my deodorants are the natural crystal ones - but I think one conventional one like this is going to appear on my shopping list.

One thing that strikes me is that if a would-be attacker saw that a woman had something small in her hand - they would probably automatically assume it was a mobile phone in this day and age and not a "weapon" like this.

But my position has always been one of "Attack me - and you get whats coming (legal or otherwise) and I'll sort out any jobsworth/legal problems later".

greenbee

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I understand the best way to draw attention, if being attacked, is not to shout "Help" or "Rape", but rather "FIRE".

Possibly not if you're 5...

This is what they're teaching kids, so if you see a child pulling away from an adult, crouching down and shouting 'stranger' then please intervene.

fuddle

Children are also taught to shout 'no' if anything makes them scared or uncomfortable.

I think greenbee makes a very good point in that we should also be alert and aware of others raising the alarm around us.

Lindlou

Going back to what Elaine said about someone opening the passenger door before she had chance to lock it.... you can get your remote refigured by your garage (or probably find out how on t'internet) so that one click just opens the drivers door and you have to click again to open the other doors. Mine's a ford and I've had it done on the last 2 I've had. Had a spate in local supermarket where they were waiting for single women to return to their cars, hiding beside the car if parked passenger side furthest away. As soon as woman got in, they opened passenger door and snatched the handbag which 9 times out of 10 was on the passenger seat or floor.

sb44

Karmacat wrote: »

Really useful discussion, thank you all. I definitely need to buy a little aerosol of deoderant ...

You can buy tiny sample size cans of WD40, google WD40 flamethrower :eek:

That would keep the b*ggers away!