In our society today, crimes, evils and felonies are the order of the day.
With this in mind, there is need to equip yourself with some techniques to safeguard yourself from crimes and their perpetrators.
Greed, envy, covetousness, insatiability and the growing desire to prey on weaker persons have given rise to various crimes.
Crimes ranging from pickpocketing, robbery, cybercrime, to sexual assault, homicide and ritual murders. Whichever the case may be, the truth is that crime is an ever-present danger and can happen to any of us.
Hence, it behoves us to be abreast of some techniques to safeguard ourselves from these crimes.
The reason for this is because, crimes not only affect us physically and materially, but they also have long-lasting emotional and psychological damages.
Let us then examine six basic techniques to safeguard yourself from crimes. They include:
Always Be Alert/Cautious
Crime perpetrators often prey on people that are unsuspecting. Being alert is the most important technique to safeguard yourself from crimes.
Be aware of your surroundings and always trust your instinct.
When you are in a mass transit, do not be engrossed with your phone or be deep in thought. This is because your guard will be let down and you automatically become vulnerable.
Do not drink in excess. That would leave your senses impaired and your potential to identify danger would be dulled.
When you attend parties with friends do not take your drink if it isn’t opened in your presence. And do not leave your drink with anyone and wander off.
Wherever you are, always know the layout and envisage an escape route for when the need arises.
In all, pay attention to the people around you and do not neglect suspicious behaviours.
Be Smart And Act Smartly
Smartness is another powerful technique to keep crimes at bay. Stay away from high-crime areas. Always mind your business, be mindful of your lifestyle, don’t be too loud or notorious, and do not go looking for troubles.
Know when to stand your ground and when to just let go. For instance, when your property is demanded at gunpoint, do not struggle or gamble with your life.
When you suspect that you’re being followed, smartly enter a public domain and then call for help.
Walk confidently, and always make eye contact with the people around you. This will make it harder for you to be intimidated.
Safeguard Your Properties
Most criminals go for easy and most accessible properties. Protecting your properties is yet another basic techniques to safeguard yourself from criminals.
You may feel the pressing need to flaunt your valuables, but I strongly advise against that.
Keep your cell phones out of site when you are in public. Do not carelessly handle your purses, wallets, car keys, credit cards etc.
Always lock the doors to your homes, office and any other place. Be discreet and mind the type of information you put out on social media.
Protect your confidential information and be wary of unverified websites. Do not be quick to click on strange links, even when they are sent to you from “friends”.
Know when an offer is too good to be true, so that you don’t fall for con men. Secure your devices against hackers and cyber-criminals.
Take Precautionary Measures
Planning ahead of crime is a very clever technique to safeguard yourself from crimes.
Physical training is very important to both male and female. You stand a better chance to protect yourself from crimes if you have some strength in you.
Go ahead and train your mind to also react quickly to danger. For when the mind reacts, the body reacts also. If you own a car, survey the parking area first before you leave your car there. And avoid parking in isolated areas.
Always have your keys ready before you reach the door of your car or house.
Know Whom To Trust
Trust is a double-edged sword. This means that it can have beneficial and detrimental consequences.
Knowing whom to trust and whom to let your guard down around, is a very important technique to safeguard yourself from crimes.
Do not be overly trusting of your friends. I’m not saying not to trust your friends, but be wary of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
Some friends can harbour intentional hatred, jealousy and envy towards you. And hence, may lure you into crimes, even organise or perpetuate various forms of crimes against you.
This is where your instinct comes into play. Subtly observe and monitor your friends and do not be too quick to jump into doing everything they suggest.
Take Your Personal Safety Seriously
Your personal safety is one of the most important aspects of your life. So, taking is seriously should be of great importance to you. Remember that you do not have a spare life, hence, take safety measures seriously.
Do not meet with strangers or online dates in isolated areas. I strongly advice that you pick the meeting place yourself, so you can do your due diligence beforehand.
Do not answer your door unless you know who’s calling and you’re comfortable with the person. Be sure to fix your broken keys and locks. If you feel uneasy at a place, please, do not hesitate to leave there at once!
Always take the safest route to and fro, and do not walk alone especially at night.
In general, it is important to note that your race, occupation, career or gender do not make you immune to crimes. Hence, it is important to equip yourself with the basic techniques on how to safeguard yourself from crimes.
Undoubtedly, various crimes are on the increase, but if we willfully commit to memory the above basic techniques, we will always scale through.
Let’s be safe out there!