 Crime Prevention - Public Security
SECURITY IN PUBLIC PLACES
It is obviously advisable for women not the be out alone in dangerous places after dark. Persons who come and go at night may wish to arrange to travel in groups, at least from buildings to parking areas. In the absence of another person, a dog is a good security guard. Even in the daylight some caution may be advisable, depending on the area one is in. The following precautions should offer some measure of protection and need not be overly confirming if they are absorbed into a daily routine.
CARS AND PARKING LOTS
- Do not leave car doors unlocked even in your own driveway.
- Drive with the doors locked and windows rolled up. When ventilation is needed, open just the driver’s window.
- Do not attract the attention of criminals by leaving valuables, such as purses, in plain sight.
- Do not stop if someone signals something is wrong with your car.
- If your car breaks down, check that you are not being followed and then set out flares, tie a white rag to the antenna, or raise the hood and sit in your locked car. Do not accept help from strangers. Ask through a window, rolled down only slightly, that help be sent. Be sure the help arrives is genuine.
- If it seems that someone is following, drive to the nearest police or fire station, or any place where people are around.
- If you do a lot of driving in places where you are uneasy, you may wish to install a cellular telephone in your car.
- If someone tries to force you off the road, keep your engine running and the car in gear. As soon as your pursuer gets out of his care, drive off.
- Keep your car in good condition the gas tank at least half full so as not to run the risk of being stranded.
- Lock the doors if you are sitting in the car waiting for someone.
- Carry road flares that can be lit by striking on a hard surface. They throw sparks and can be used as a weapon.
- Park in lighted areas and avoid parking garages at night.
- Do not leave a key chain with house keys with a parking attendant. Leave only your ignition keys.
- Remember exactly where you parked and walk directly to your car. Observe the car as your approach. If it looks strange, or perhaps has a flat tire, leave at once and seek help.
ON THE STREET
- Do not attract attention with inappropriate clothing: expensive furs and jewelry may invite robbery in some areas of town; scanty or revealing clothing, especially on a hitchhiker, may give the impression that the wearer is open to sexual approach.
- Stay alert. Be aware of the people around you. Walk briskly. Walk against the traffic so that cars cannot cruise along beside you. Walk in the center of the sidewalk away from doorways and parked cars.
- If you are uneasy about someone following you, cross the street. If that is not possible, turn and face him. If he has any plan for attack, he will probable forget it, of if he does not, you will at least see him coming. While listening to the footsteps, plan your reaction.
- Know your route and your place of refuge: which stores are open late and where the police and fire stations are.
- Dress so that you can move fast. Clogs and high heels are not meant for running, nor are long coats and tight skirts. Do not wear loose scarves that can be used to hold or even choke you.
- Refuse to work weekends or nights alone if possible.
- Do not allow anyone to come to your house in answer to an advertisement unless there is someone else in the house.
- If you answer an advertisement for a job, such as babysitting, take another person with you when you go for the interview. Make sure the job offer is genuine.
- When traveling, do not make it obvious that you are in a strange place alone. Avoid reading maps on a street corner or in a restaurant.
- Carry a doorstop when staying at hotels and motels.
- Don’t go on blind dates unless you are with friends you know well.
- Do not accept invitations to parties or offers of accommodation from women you do not know.
- Be wary around restrooms in public places.
- At night stay out of self-service places such as Laundromats.
- Carry enough money for taxi fare home when out on a date. Consider making a safe room in your house. Some households have a room with a strong door and lock and a telephone for family members to go in case there are sounds of a break-in.
- Learn from your police department the emergency number and the approximate amount of time between the call and the arrival of police assistance. Some police departments use a system of priorities on calls. If this is so in your area, learn these.
- Trust your intuition. If a situation seems suspicious -- leave.
- Carry a noisemaker that can be activated in the hand and have it ready. Buy the kind that once turned on will not turn off by itself. Some of them make a piercing sound that will not only attract attention but will very likely scare off an attacker by surprise.
- Investigate the possibility of carrying a chemical repellent device. If you contemplate using one, make sure it is legal to do so where you live and that it is a kind that is less likely to disable you along with the assailant. A spray that will blow back in your face in a windy day is not a practical weapon.
- If you do come home late at night regularly, try to vary the route. Also, if possible, let someone at home know when to expect you.
- When standing on the street waiting for someone, a bus, or for traffic to clear, stand firmly with feet slightly apart and hands out of the pockets. Stand back from the curb to minimize the risk of being dragged into a car.
- Do not hesitate to bang on the nearest door for help if needed.
- Do not pull up too close to cars at stop lights. Leave room to get out if it appears you are being hemmed in or are being hassled by a gang on the sidewalk. Lean on the horn if this happens.
ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
- If you must wait for a bus, select a bus stop that is well lighted and near open stores offices (even if you must walk and extra block or two).
- Stay near other women who are waiting or try to stand with your back to a wall so that you cannot be approached from behind. Stay alert.
- Sit near the driver on the bus. If a stranger sits next to you, or touches you intentionally, move to the front of the bus and tell the driver.
|
|
