Let’s play a quick game today.
Imagine you’re a crack addict and you need your next fix ASAP. Since you’re high on drugs you’ll do anything to get this next fix and in your mind the easiest way to do this is to rob someone coming out of the shopping mall.
You post up outside of the mall waiting for an easy “score” to come out so you can hopefully get a purse full of cash or maybe some electronics or some jewelry. You’ve got a knife on you, which you plan to pull on the victim so they easily give up the goods.
Now ask yourself, what does your potential victim look like? Who are you hoping walks out of the mall that you can attack?
Is it a man or a woman? How old is this person? What are they wearing? How are they carrying themselves as they walk? Do they have their hands full of shopping bags or are their hands empty?
Is this person on a cell phone or not? Are they by themselves or talking with a group of friends?
I hope you’ll take some time to really think about this and to get out of your comfort zone. I (hopefully) know you’re not a crack addict, but to protect yourself you have to think like the other side.
As for me, here are my answers to the questions above:
- My target would be a woman.
- She would either be a young woman, such as in high school or college, or an elderly woman. (It would not be a woman with kids. Women with kids go “crazy” to protect their children.)
- She would be wearing jewelry, such as a large ring or several bracelets or earrings that looked like they were worth some money.
- The way she walked would show a lack of self-confidence and perhaps she would be slightly hunched over.
- Her hands would be full of shopping bags.
- Even though her hands are full she would somehow manage to be on her cell phone too.
- She would be alone.
Obviously, your answers will be slightly different, but if you look in the mirror today and see the victim you are describing above then clearly you need to do something differently.
You need to always walk with self-confidence and with a purpose whether you’re a man or a woman. You should always keep your strong hand free so you can draw your gun or strike someone with a tactical pen or throw a punch. (This is why I always carry a gun on me since the crack addict will likely have a knife or a gun too.)
Stay off your cell phone unless you’re in a safe area such as your car. There’s never a need to be on a cell phone when walking through a parking lot or other area, especially at night. (And if you are on the cell phone learn to use your support hand to hold the phone so your strong hand is free.)
The bottom line is, when you put yourself in the criminal’s shoes and see yourself through their eyes it’s easier to come up with preventative measures so you or a loved one never becomes a victim.
