by: Kerry Sauve
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions floating around about the topics of Personal Safety & Self Defense. Let’s face facts; the world we live in can be an extremely dangerous place we are constantly bombarded with images and news stories of the tragedy and carnage that seem to occur on a more and more frequent basis. Statistically violent crime has been slightly decreasing in the last 10 years. Yet the perception by the public is that our cities are unsafe, we are overrun with drug and gang fueled violence, sexual assault and murder. Why is this? Or perhaps more importantly does it matter?
I pose these questions because I think it is vitally important for people to begin to think critically about the issues of crime, violence and what our role has to be in protecting ourselves from becoming victims and statistics. We believe our cities are unsafe because they are. It really doesn’t matter one iota to the mother of a sexual assault survivor that instances of sex crimes are down 4% in the last 5 years. The fact of the matter is that one victim is still too many. I live in Alberta Canada and can honestly say that we have some of the best and brightest police officers in the world. Having said this they are under funded, under manned and over worked. Unfortunately many times the police are responding to the outcome of an incident, not prevent it.
This brings me around (finally) to our topic of conversation “Personal Safety”. You’re personal safety and security and that of your family is in your hands. In terms of keeping yourself safe and secure and drastically reducing your profile as a potential victim there are some very easy things that the average person can do, without the need to resort to paranoid/restrictive measures. My business and career revolve around safety and security. My experiences have taught me that it really comes down to three basic concepts; knowledge, preparation and practice.
Take the time to educate yourself on issues that revolve around Personal Safety & Self Defense. Personal Safety is a holistic term and encompasses all areas of your life. It involves applying basic risk assessment and management techniques to your life at home, work and on the street. My personal philosophy is that the best way to protect yourself and your family is to avoid risk. I know, who thought it would be so easy to keep yourself safe right? This is much easier said than done. We can’t ever under any circumstances completely avoid risk. There are constantly risks all around us. From other drivers on the road, to random street crime, there are always potential risks. Since we can never completely eliminate risk, the next best thing is to reduce it.
In order to reduce risk, we must first understand it. This involves a little bit of insight. You need to look at all areas of your life and examine what potential risks exist for each environment and set of circumstances. This is a Personal Security Audit. It is an objective, unabashed look at how you live your life and the level of risk that your lifestyle and choices place you at. The information would then be examined and decisions made as to which risks are acceptable risks (driving to work, having a life) vs. the unacceptable risks (walking blindfolded on a tightrope, without a net while juggling chainsaws and Ebola infected monkeys).
Once you have determined which risks are unacceptable in your life, you would plan to eliminate them if possible, and reduce their impact if it is not. This involves a plan. I can hear the groans of derision already. Yes; you will need to plan how you are going to keep you and your loved ones safe. Here is the secret of the best Personal Security Plans. Keep it simple.
The fact of the matter is; if you make things too complicated for yourself you will soon abandon the plan. Worse you will severely impact your life and your freedom. Plan for the things you can control and train for the things you can’t. You can ensure that your home has adequate security features (solid core doors, professional quality locks and dead bolts). You can also ensure that you have taken basic First Aid/CPR and Self Defense courses. Making sure that you always carry a charged cell phone and that your vehicle is maintained in good repair are two more ways to dramatically increase your Personal Safety.
Learn to trust your gut feelings and instincts. I’ve heard too many stories from people who ignored their instincts and became victims and statistics as a result. Our instincts have kept us alive for a long time. In fact they have allowed us to become the dominant species on the planet. Your instincts are active when you get the feeling that you are being watched. They are also in high gear when the hair on your arm or the back of your neck stands up or you have an immediate visceral dislike/distrust for someone you’ve just met. Listen to the warning bells that are going off inside your head in situations like this. Your instincts might not always tell you exactly what is wrong, but they are do tell you something is wrong.
I always hear the argument that we can’t go around profiling people based on a feeling we get about them without getting to know them first. I’m sorry but that’s the most irresponsible, uninformed argument I’ve ever head. We profile people and situations all of the time. Our brains are hardwired for it. Profiling keeps us from doing stupid and potentially fatal things. If I were to suggest to you that we should not profile grizzly bears based on the fact that occasionally some grizzly bears eat people, you would think me mad. If your brain is telling you that something is wrong, then chances are your subconscious has picked up on some subtle clue that the context or subtext of the situation is wrong.
You don’t have to stop hiking in the woods to avoid bears, but you can take appropriate precautions and avoid running into them when you are in their territory. The same theory works for your life. In most cases people don’t need to drastically alter their lives in order to be safe and reduce risk. What they need is to know what the risks are, how to reduce their impact, and what skills they need to practice to ensure their safety. Next time we will look at the concept of Situational Awareness. Until then stay safe and watch out for bears.
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions floating around about the topics of Personal Safety & Self Defense. Let’s face facts; the world we live in can be an extremely dangerous place we are constantly bombarded with images and news stories of the tragedy and carnage that seem to occur on a more and more frequent basis. Statistically violent crime has been slightly decreasing in the last 10 years. Yet the perception by the public is that our cities are unsafe, we are overrun with drug and gang fueled violence, sexual assault and murder. Why is this? Or perhaps more importantly does it matter?
I pose these questions because I think it is vitally important for people to begin to think critically about the issues of crime, violence and what our role has to be in protecting ourselves from becoming victims and statistics. We believe our cities are unsafe because they are. It really doesn’t matter one iota to the mother of a sexual assault survivor that instances of sex crimes are down 4% in the last 5 years. The fact of the matter is that one victim is still too many. I live in Alberta Canada and can honestly say that we have some of the best and brightest police officers in the world. Having said this they are under funded, under manned and over worked. Unfortunately many times the police are responding to the outcome of an incident, not prevent it.
This brings me around (finally) to our topic of conversation “Personal Safety”. You’re personal safety and security and that of your family is in your hands. In terms of keeping yourself safe and secure and drastically reducing your profile as a potential victim there are some very easy things that the average person can do, without the need to resort to paranoid/restrictive measures. My business and career revolve around safety and security. My experiences have taught me that it really comes down to three basic concepts; knowledge, preparation and practice.
Take the time to educate yourself on issues that revolve around Personal Safety & Self Defense. Personal Safety is a holistic term and encompasses all areas of your life. It involves applying basic risk assessment and management techniques to your life at home, work and on the street. My personal philosophy is that the best way to protect yourself and your family is to avoid risk. I know, who thought it would be so easy to keep yourself safe right? This is much easier said than done. We can’t ever under any circumstances completely avoid risk. There are constantly risks all around us. From other drivers on the road, to random street crime, there are always potential risks. Since we can never completely eliminate risk, the next best thing is to reduce it.
In order to reduce risk, we must first understand it. This involves a little bit of insight. You need to look at all areas of your life and examine what potential risks exist for each environment and set of circumstances. This is a Personal Security Audit. It is an objective, unabashed look at how you live your life and the level of risk that your lifestyle and choices place you at. The information would then be examined and decisions made as to which risks are acceptable risks (driving to work, having a life) vs. the unacceptable risks (walking blindfolded on a tightrope, without a net while juggling chainsaws and Ebola infected monkeys).
Once you have determined which risks are unacceptable in your life, you would plan to eliminate them if possible, and reduce their impact if it is not. This involves a plan. I can hear the groans of derision already. Yes; you will need to plan how you are going to keep you and your loved ones safe. Here is the secret of the best Personal Security Plans. Keep it simple.
The fact of the matter is; if you make things too complicated for yourself you will soon abandon the plan. Worse you will severely impact your life and your freedom. Plan for the things you can control and train for the things you can’t. You can ensure that your home has adequate security features (solid core doors, professional quality locks and dead bolts). You can also ensure that you have taken basic First Aid/CPR and Self Defense courses. Making sure that you always carry a charged cell phone and that your vehicle is maintained in good repair are two more ways to dramatically increase your Personal Safety.
Learn to trust your gut feelings and instincts. I’ve heard too many stories from people who ignored their instincts and became victims and statistics as a result. Our instincts have kept us alive for a long time. In fact they have allowed us to become the dominant species on the planet. Your instincts are active when you get the feeling that you are being watched. They are also in high gear when the hair on your arm or the back of your neck stands up or you have an immediate visceral dislike/distrust for someone you’ve just met. Listen to the warning bells that are going off inside your head in situations like this. Your instincts might not always tell you exactly what is wrong, but they are do tell you something is wrong.
I always hear the argument that we can’t go around profiling people based on a feeling we get about them without getting to know them first. I’m sorry but that’s the most irresponsible, uninformed argument I’ve ever head. We profile people and situations all of the time. Our brains are hardwired for it. Profiling keeps us from doing stupid and potentially fatal things. If I were to suggest to you that we should not profile grizzly bears based on the fact that occasionally some grizzly bears eat people, you would think me mad. If your brain is telling you that something is wrong, then chances are your subconscious has picked up on some subtle clue that the context or subtext of the situation is wrong.
You don’t have to stop hiking in the woods to avoid bears, but you can take appropriate precautions and avoid running into them when you are in their territory. The same theory works for your life. In most cases people don’t need to drastically alter their lives in order to be safe and reduce risk. What they need is to know what the risks are, how to reduce their impact, and what skills they need to practice to ensure their safety. Next time we will look at the concept of Situational Awareness. Until then stay safe and watch out for bears.