North American Security Products, LLC
55 Route 13, Brookline, NH 03033
(603) 673-0188 Toll Free (866) 680-NASP (6277)
info@naselfdefense.com

The anatomy of a criminal

This article is not deigned to be an in depth psychological profile of the criminal mind. My intention is not to bore you into a coma. I simply want you to be aware of what goes on inside the criminal mind so you can avoid becoming a victim.

A criminal is any person who victimizes another person.

The main thing to remember is that criminals are opportunists. They will look for an opportunity to commit a crime. If no opportunity presents itself where they are, then they will look somewhere else to commit their crimes. In the criminal mind an opportunity can present itself at anytime and anywhere that they feel there is a good chance that they can get away with their actions.

A few examples of potential opportunities are...

A person smaller than themselves who is walking alone. Think about it, to a potential robber or rapist, a 120 lb. female presents more of an opportunity then a 350 lb. male. Often, criminals will work in groups of two or more making even a larger person a potential victim.

A few tips to avoid becoming this type of victim are...

Be aware of your surroundings. Try to take notice of any other people in the area and if you start to feel uncomfortable or threatened, take immediate action to physically distance yourself from the situation.

Pay particular attention to places where someone could hide — such as stairways, bushes, parked cars or dark alleys.

Walk or hang out in areas that are open, well lit, and well traveled and avoid shortcuts that take you through isolated areas.

If you're going out at night, travel in a group.

Be sure your body language shows a sense of confidence. Look like you know where you're going and act alert. Even if you don't feel confident, you need to learn how to act as if you are confident. Most criminals will see your confidence and leave you alone opting for a victim that seems more insecure and unsure of themselves.

The best way to boost your confidence is to take a self defense class. The more you learn about how to defend and protect yourself, the more confident you will eventually become. A good self-defense class can teach you how to size up a situation and decide what you should do. Self-defense classes can also teach special techniques for breaking an attacker's grasp and other things you can do to get away.

But be careful not to get too cocky with your confidence. Learning a few punches and kicks does not mean that you should go walking down a dark alley in the middle of the night.

The absolute best way to defend yourself is to not foolishly get into the confrontation in the first place.

An unlocked vehicle or a vehicle that is parked on a poorly lit street. If the robber can look inside and thinks they can get away with it, they'll take whatever they can. (radio, cell phone, briefcase or clothing, sometimes they'll even steal the whole car.) So lock your car and try to park it in a well lit, secure area.

An unoccupied residence (some signs of this are... no lights on in the house, newspapers or mail that is piling up, an unkept yard or any other evidence that the occupants are away from home)

↑↑↑ (For more on these two topics, see the article on Home burglar prevention) ↓↓↓

An occupied residence. (this is also known as home invasion) If you notice someone in your neighborhood that is acting suspiciously or watching a particular house closely, then you have every reason to be suspicious of that person.

Any thing of value that is left in plain sight. If the opportunity presents itself, an honest person will admire it but a dishonest person will snatch it. Also, the knowledge of a large amount of valuables in any one place can be an irresistible temptation to the criminal mind. Often it only takes a small amount of alcohol or drugs to raise the criminals confidence and lower their sense of decency.

A business that has little or no security systems in place. These present a fine opportunity for the criminal because they can be pretty sure that after normal business hours, the building is probably unoccupied for the entire night, giving them plenty of time to wait for the "right moment".

Rarely does someone leave their house in the morning with a particular crime in mind. But the criminal mind is always open to opportunities that present themselves.

I wrote this article not to make you paranoid; but to make you aware.

I'm not trying to make you afraid; quite the contrary, I'm trying to make you prepared so you don't have to be afraid.