What To Do When Witnessing A Crime

Witnessing a crime is an event that is becoming more common, and depending on the crime itself, could put people in very dangerous and compromising positions. Therefore, we need to know how to handle situations or how not to handle situations.

Personal Safety

The most important thing in any situation is your own safety. There is no reason to place yourself in danger and make the situation worse. If you are not trained to handle the situation, the best weapon for you is information gathering. From a safe distance, take note of as many details as you can. This includes information of the suspect(s) such as clothing descriptions, distinguishing details such as tattoos/earrings/scars/physical features etc. If there is a vehicle involved note the type/make/reg number/dents/scratches/modifications.

The information you gather can be the piece of the puzzle that the authorities need to catch the suspects.

When You Are A Victim

But what if I become the victim? How do I ensure that I get out safely?

The best thing to do in becoming a victim of a crime is to give the suspects what they want. We see that most robbers do not want to harm their victims. They want to grab their loot and get out with minimal confrontation, as the longer they are in the situation, the more chance they have of being caught.

If the situation escalates and you now feel that the suspects will harm you, you need to find the one opportunity to get out of the situation. There is usually a single moment that you will have to strike, and when that moment hits, you will need to hit hard and get away. The point of striking back is not to beat the suspect up. The point is to immobilise them for just enough time for you to run away. If they get back up and you are still there, you will be in more danger than you were before.

Self Defence Classes

It is strongly suggested that you go for self-defence courses to prepare yourself for a situation. It is very easy to say “kick them in the groin and run”, but you need to know that each situation is different. This means that each circumstance will need a unique solution.

Avoid The Situation Altogether. 

With all that being said, there is an easier way, which is to avoid the situation altogether. This can be achieved by extreme vigilance. If you are aware of your surroundings when in public, it will be very easy to spot suspicious individuals. You can then move in a direction that keeps you out of their target zone, and you can report their presence to the closest security official.

Non-lethal Spray

Arm yourself with non-lethal solutions. Carry defence solutions like pepper spray, and keep it somewhere that it’s easy to access. You don’t want your pepper spray to be at the bottom of your handbag when an attacker approaches, leaving the item useless in your defence.

After the additional CCTV poles were installed in the Village, Atlas Security CCTV operators visited St Francis to get to know the area a little more.