If something seems out of place, pay attention and take necessary precautions.
“The wise see danger and go to a safe place. But the simple go on and suffer for it.” Proverbs 27:12
Safety begins with basic awareness. And, as basic as it may sound, this simple truth was the key factor that thwarted the efforts of an attempted kidnapping targeting two women. Therefore, it should be said again: safety begins with basic awareness.
While this may sound like an all too simple bit of advice, it is the most often overlooked safety precaution. Beyond overlooking the importance of awareness, many do not even realize how generally unaware they are. Today, we are often mentally preoccupied and physically immersed with smartphone content; we stay vigilant to the latest social media updates and use noise canceling earbuds to enfold our senses to streaming content. The result is that we are mentally, physically, visually, and audibly unaware to the world around us. And, this is indisputable; we see it all the time. Generally, we, as a society, walk (and drive) around distracted. We are preoccupied with our phones.
We are preoccupied with our current and never ending list of tasks. We are preoccupied with the over abundance of advertisements.
However, over the past few decades, many different studies and experiments have demonstrated that a majority of dangerous situations can be avoided when potential victims simply show themselves as being alert and otherwise undistracted; these easily avoidable situations are often referred to as “crimes of opportunity.” Crimes of opportunity occur when a perpetrator engages in an illegal act simply because they see a convenient opening; an example of such an opening includes leaving your wallet or backpack on a park bench then walking away to use the restroom—in this circumstance, the theft could have been easily avoided by not creating the opportunity. This is not reductive, naive, or overly simple: car theft is reduced by remembering to lock your doors, theft of personal items is significantly reduced when you stay near your items, and assaults are reduced when you do not find yourself mindlessly walking down a dark, empty street at night in a high crime area. And, once we understand the importance of remembering to practice this basic safety principle we can then begin to apply the tool to more complex scenarios.
Professionally trained guards delivering high value items are constantly reminded to keep their head on a swivel. When making a delivery to a financial institution or jewelry store or approaching an ATM for requested service, armored transport guards survey the parking lot upon approach; they watch for oddities like unusual foot traffic or occupied vehicles unusually parked—if the environment smells like a potential ambush, they immediately leave. Police officers responding to a scene often approach strategically and observe the situation before engaging; the situation they are responding to is already likely dangerous, and unnecessary risks can be avoided with a brief moment, potentially even only a couple seconds, of vigilant observation. Likewise, those commissioned to transport precious metals from remote mines to in-town security vaults are trained to be mindful of vehicles potentially following them along the route; if such is suspected, precautions are taken. Most have seen enough movies to assume that awareness is needed in these circumstances, but many are unaware that this level of awareness and observation is a daily reality for many professionals in every city.
But, this type of general awareness has practical everyday application beyond the professional environments. You can use it in your daily life as seen in the story of two women.
On an ordinary day of no particular significance, two women, a mother and daughter, were shopping at the Chandler Fashion Mall; the mall was crowded but on par for what was typical at that location on a weekend. The stores were bustling but manageable with little activity happening outside the norm. The mother, however, started noticing that something was out of place; a middle-aged male, by himself, was following them from store to store, lingering oddly close to her teenage daughter. The stores that these two women were going to did not cater to men of any age. So, before overreacting and becoming paranoid, this mother cleverly started making what may have seemed like illogical choices. She started choosing odd paths to their next destinations. And, still, he followed; and, she observed that he, despite being alone and not making any purchases, was communicating with someone. What started as simple awareness of something odd turned into a brilliant decision—she trusted her gut. She made efforts to subtly dodge and hide long enough to sneak over to the security desk where she asked (after informing them of the situation) to be escorted to their car. She kept them both safe by being observant, trusting her instincts, and seeking help to avoid danger. When she told me this story, she added at the end that the security guard confirmed that the same thing happened the previous week, and that the previous situation involved, thankfully unsuccessfully, an attempted abduction by multiple individuals that had planned to kidnap a girl while she was walking out to her car.
So, again, you can keep yourself safe by being aware and undistracted.