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Self defense crime prevention tips

This is an excerpt from Teaching Self-Defense in Secondary Physical Education by Joan L. Neide.

In an emergency, dial 911

Three factors must be present for crime to occur: desire, ability, and opportunity. While citizens may not be able to change an individual's desire and ability to commit a crime, they can significantly reduce that person's opportunity by following simple crime-prevention rules.

Crime is prevented when citizens develop good habits that take away the opportunity for criminals to operate.

At Home

• Use your door viewer before opening your door.
• Secure your home before leaving it. Unless it is used, the world's best lock is useless.
• Don't hide your house key under mats, over doors, or in flower pots.
• Use interior and exterior lighting to discourage unwanted visitors.
• Have keys ready in your hand for fast entry to your home.
• Report suspicious loiterers in your neighborhood to the police.
• Place identification markers on all property. Most burglars will not steal marked property.
• If you know people who live alone, remind them not to list their addresses in the telephone directory.
• Demand identification before admitting sales or repair people, especially if you were not expecting them.
• Leave the bathroom light on while sleeping or away at night. A lit bathroom light gives the impression that someone is home and up, which can deter a burglar.

Walking

• Plan your route ahead of time, and never walk alone at night. Arrange to walk with a friend or a dog.
• Use well-lit streets, not dark alleys or bushy areas.
• Carry signaling devices like shrill alarms, shriek alarms, or a whistle to summon help in case of attack.
• Be alert! Look over your shoulder occasionally.
• Never ask for or accept rides from strangers.
• Avoid displaying or carrying large amounts of money.
• Avoid wearing or displaying valuable jewelry in public.
• Don't resist an armed robber. Hand over whatever is demanded quickly and quietly. Your life and safety are worth more than your personal effects.

Purse Protection

• If possible, don't carry a purse.
• Carry your purse against the front of your body, with your forearm across the front of the purse and your elbow held tightly against your side.
• Carry your keys, wallet, and other valuables in coat or pants pockets.
• Carry only minimal amounts of cash and few credit cards. Keep a record of card numbers in a safe location in your home in case your cards are lost or stolen.
• Carry the purse over your shoulder, and wear a coat over the purse if possible.
• Don't let your purse hang loosely in your hand. Doing so invites a thief to grab it.
• Never carry anything you can't afford to lose in your purse. If a purse carrying valuables is snatched, you may want to fight to keep it. It's better to surrender your purse than to fight for it.

Driving

• Always look inside your car before entering.
• Make sure all doors are locked before starting the car.
• Never pick up hitchhikers.
• If a stranger approaches while you are in your car, keep your windows closed, your door locked, and the engine running.
• Install a trunk release button inside the car.
• Engrave automobile stereo systems with your driver's license number before installation.
• Remember to park in well-lit areas at night.
• Keep the ignition key with you at all times.
• Lock all doors when leaving your car.
• Use your garage.
• Protect tires and rims with wheel locks.
• Consider using a good automobile burglar alarm system.
• Use locking gas caps or antisiphon screens.
• Don't leave valuables in your car. Put them in the trunk or cover them if you don't have a trunk.

Call the police immediately if you are attacked. Ask witnesses to stay until the police arrive.

This is an excerpt from Teaching Self-Defense in Secondary Physical Education.

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