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.
↑↑↑
(For more on these two topics, see the article on
Home burglar
prevention) ↓↓↓
-
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.
Original Author: SA Rubin / North American
Security Products, LLC
Copyright: November 2006
