With the high rate of crime, especially for sexual assault and theft, everywhere in Australia, we have to know how to protect ourselves and become a victim from any of these crimes. It is not possible for the police to handle everything on their own, which is why individuals have to be vigilant and combine their resources to avert a range of crimes before they happen. Criminals look for people who are not aware of their surroundings and then use this to their advantage.
Here is a list of things that you can do to help and prevent these crimes from happening to you or to your surroundings. 1. Be aware of your surroundings. No matter where you are and no matter how safe the statistics said about that area, it is still not a good idea to leave without locking your front door, leaving your valuables in the car openly, leave your wallets lying around, or flaunt your jewellery to other people. These actions will create temptations and provide opportunity for offenders. 2. Pay attention to the people around you. Here you have to actively listen to your instincts and be aware of your surroundings. More often than not, you can tell the intention of other people towards you just by looking at them. 3. Train your body. Here it does not mean that you have to have an athlete physique to defend yourself, but it does help to keep your body fit at all times by exercising regularly or train yourself in martial arts to defend yourself. You do not have to fight the attacker but just to survive the attack or plan an escape plan. 4. Target hardening (making target more resilient to attack or more difficult to remove or damage). Here are some examples: fitting a better door, install an alarm system for your home, or fitting a wheel lock to your vehicle. 5. Do not carry a lot of cash with you at any times. Why carry a lot of cash when you can pay using credit card or EFTPOS. Currently, a lot of places in Australia EFTPOS friendly, which means you do not have to carry a lot of cash and still be able to do your purchase. For those who are not familiar, EFTPOS is a method of payment that uses your ATM card. 6. Take advantage of neighbourhood watches. A lot of states in Australia has set up its own neighbourhood watch to protect their areas. These are not fool proofs but serves as deterrents, which causes inconvenience for thieves. 7. Emergency numbers. Each country has its own set of emergency numbers. In Australia, dialling triple 0 (000) will connect you to the police. For more information on Australia’s emergency number, this is Australia’s police website: http://www.australia.gov.au/topics/family-home-and-community/emergency-services We are all responsible for our own lifestyle choices. Change begins from within you, your home, and/or your surroundings. Do conduct regular lifestyle assessments and make the necessary changes to protect yourself and your family. |