Crime peaks over the holiday season. It stands to reason: when you’re relaxing and enjoying yourself, your guard is down and criminals find it easier to attack. New York sex-crimes prosecutor Linda Fairstein has pinpointed the five most dangerous places where crimes against women take place. Here we outline the danger zones and tell you what you can do to stay safe.
DANGER ZONE 1:
Car Parks
• If you drive a car, you probably need to use a car park at least once a day. ‘Thieves target car parks,’ says Constable Siphokazi Mawisa of the South African Police Service. ‘Try to park your car in secure car parks. If you know you’re going to be inside a building for a long while and most of the other cars in the car park will be gone by the time you get back, park your car as close to the entrance as you can.’ If you feel unsafe when you come out of the building, turn around, go back inside and ask a security guard to walk you to your car.
• As you’re walking back to your car, stop and do a 360-degree turn to make sure that no-one is watching or following you. ‘Be wary of people who could attack you from behind,’ says Sanette Smit, COSMO’s self-defence expert. ‘Someone could grab your handbag or pull at your necklace from behind.’
• Be watchful of anyone hanging about or offering to help you at the exit boom and card slot or at ATM units close to the parking pay meters.
• lf you regularly park in an underground car park, try to change the pattern of when you go and where you park, says Dr Annelie Rabie of Business Against Crime Western Cape.
• ‘Vary the route that you take and the time you get home,’ she advises.
• Don’t buy huge quantities of groceries in one go. ‘Your battling with a full trolley is the perfect invitation for a criminal,’ says Rabie. And remember that people are often followed home from shops.
REMEMBER: ‘The best time of the day to go shopping is between 10am and 3pm,’ says Rabie. This is usually the busiest time, when there are bound to be other shoppers around. It’s safer to be among a crowd than to go solo.
DANGER ZONE 2:
Your Car
• While you’re in your car, especially if you’re travelling alone, you’re a target for car thieves and hijackers. While it may seem fun, don’t flirt with guys in other cars, especially if there are two or more men in the car. You’re drawing unnecessary attention to yourself, which could set you up for an attack.
• ‘Thieves will not hesitate to cause an accident in order to get you out of your car,’ says Mawisa. ‘Stay in your car and call the police. Only get out to inspect any damage once the authorities have arrived.’
• Keep the phone number of a reputable towing service on your cellphone. ‘If you’re involved in an accident, a tow truck will often get there faster than the police will,’ says Smit.
• Approach a red traffic light slowly so that when it turns green, your car is still moving and you can go forwards easily, Mawisa says. ‘A moving car is more difficult to hijack than a stationary one,’ says Smit.
• Don’t leave the windows open by more than three centimetres, Smit says. And always keep all the doors of your car locked at all times, says Mawisa.
• Be alert to potential attacks by confidence tricksters. ‘For example, you could find that your car is badly scratched,’ says Smit. ‘A man walks up to you, telling you that security guards caught the person responsible for the damage to your car. He asks you to follow him to the security offices so you can lay a charge. You follow him. Once he has you isolated, he has the chance to attack.’
REMEMBER: A hijack is more about the car than anything else, says Smit. ‘If you are hijacked, put your hands up and get out of the car.’ Hand over the keys. Only fight back if you have no other choice and are sure that the hijacker is unarmed.
DANGER ZONE 3:
Familiar Streets
• It doesn’t matter where you live – whether it’s a town house in the suburbs or a flat in the CBD – you are at risk of attack anywhere.
• lf you are walking or jogging in your neighbourhood and someone tries to pull you into a vehicle, fight back and do your utmost not to get into the car, says Smit. Scream that you are being attacked, and kick and punch at your assailant, making it difficult for him to grab hold of you. ‘Should he get you into the car, try talking your way out of the situation calmly. If that fails, punch the attacker in the groin and try to escape through the door – even if it means jumping out of a moving car.
REMEMBER: If you are attacked, remain calm by concentrating on the present. Don’t start imagining what could happen; focus on getting yourself out of there alive. ‘Ask yourself: what is the surface of the floor – is it grass, ground, carpet, road or stairs? What is the attacker wearing? What are you wearing? Is the attacker armed? Did he communicate with you before he launched his assault or was it a blitz attack? Can you perhaps talk yourself out of the situation?’ says Smit. Decide which of these factors can help you in your self-defence actions.
DANGER ZONE 4:
Taxis and Public Transport
• ‘Project an air of confidence, positivity and purpose when you’re walking,’ says Smit. To a would-be attacker, someone who seems fearless is less of an easy target than someone who seems timid and unsure of herself.
• If you travel by taxi or bus, travel with a friend, suggests Rabie. If some of your co-workers travel the same route as you, try to arrange that you travel in a group, says Mawisa.
• Never get into an empty taxi or train carriage. You are an easier target if there are no witnesses around to protect you or identify the attackers later.
• Keep your handbag properly closed and on your lap, not on a seat next to you, says Smit. Should your handbag be snatched at a taxi rank, bus stop or train station, yell loudly that somebody has grabbed your bag, she says. ‘Hopefully somebody will help you. But once someone has run off with your bag, don’t run after him. He might have a group of friends waiting to attack you.’
• ‘When you are using public transport, avoid travelling with valuables, large sums of money or lots of shopping bags,’ says Mawisa. You’ll be distracted by your load and therefore not fully on guard against attack.
• Don’t forget that a fellow passenger who tries to strike up a conversation with you is also a potential attacker, says Mawisa. It’s safer to keep to yourself, especially if you’re travelling alone.
• If somebody verbally abuses you on a train or bus, remember that you can fight back, says Smit. ‘Speak up so that everybody hears you.’ Involve other passengers in the conversation. Say to someone sitting close by: ‘Can you believe this guy?’
REMEMBER: Wherever you are, if an attacker invades your space, you can use basic self-defence moves to save yourself. ‘Strike the sensitive target areas on the attacker’s body – the nose, eyes, ears, throat and groin, and then run away as quickly as possible and call for help,’ says Smit.
DANGER ZONE 5:
Your Own Home
• Try to make your home as burglarproof as possible, says Mawisa. ‘Stop burglars at their point of entry by having proper fencing, gates and doors installed. It pays to spend more on the best locks (preferably a triple-locking security gate) and a burglar-alarm system that is linked to a monitoring and armed-response service.’ Look at your home from a burglar’s point of view – how easily would you be able to break in?
• Trim or remove shrubs and trees in your garden that could help conceal potential burglars or offer a good hiding place while a burglary is under way.
• Get to know your neighbours, says Smit. They can be your best allies – but don’t broadcast your holiday plans to the entire street. ‘If you’re going away, ask a trustworthy neighbour to keep an eye on your place. If you have an armed-response service, tell them that you’ll be away and ask them to do extra visible patrols around your premises,’ says Mawisa. ‘Tell your neighbour, as well as close friends and family who might visit you, when you’ll return. Don’t leave notes for anyone outside your house, as potential burglars can read them.’
• When you go out, never leave your house key under a doormat, in a pot plant or in the post box. These spots are where criminals check first. Instead, leave a key with a neighbour or friend.
REMEMBER: Even if there has never been a burglary in your area, don’t become complacent. It’s never too late to be the first target.
For more information about self-defence workshops contact Sanette Smit on 021 461 0036 or 082 415 3960, or visit
www.selfdefence.co.za.