Safety campaigns tips
SDFEssex personal safety tips. Please be aware of the following safety campaigns:
- Ask For Angela Campaign
- Reporting Assault on the Rail Network i.e. Text 61016
- If you are unable to speak on a 999 call when prompted type 55 then the emergency operator will know you can’t speak.
Car Park safety tips
If you are uncomfortable or suspect something isn’t right before approaching your vehicle, return back to your previous location e.g. shop, restaurant, work or security and ask for help.
If you regularly drive your car into a parking space, please be aware when you return to your car if you reverse out of the parking space. On your return once you have approached & unlocked your vehicle in the car park, put any bags in the car & go inside.
It is best to lock the doors immediately, start the engine & select reverse. If you look into the rear-view mirror & notice a leaflet / sticker on the rear window think carefully about your next actions.
It is so easy to simply deselect the gear, jump out of the car, engine still running, & walk to the back of the car to remove the leaflet etc. So what’s wrong with this approach? What are we vulnerable to?
Theft, Risk of being hurt from your car being driven off by someone. Abduction in your own vehicle. I heard about a vehicle jacking several years ago in Essex, it happens. The Safer option? Do Not Get Out of the vehicle at that time. Just reverse the vehicle out of the parking space, drive out of the car park & remove the leaflet later.
Defusing a potentially bad situation
Practical self defence techniques that I teach are to be used as a last resort. If I can talk my way out of an attack before it becomes physical that is my goal.
What we say and how we say it is important, we do not want to make things worse, these situations can escalate rapidly. We need to calm things down without saying “calm down”
Brief example, years ago I pulled out into a main road, I assume this angered a fellow motorist who decided to leave their transportation in the middle of the road, blocking my ability to drive forward.
The motorist approached my car door on foot, clearly unhappy. I just said “I am really sorry’, which seemed to stop them in their tracks. They turned, shouted a lot, mainly at me, then returned to their vehicle and drove off. End result, nothing physical happened, I went home safe and sound.
Luckily for me the person didn’t become physical towards me, so I didn’t have to react further. Self defence personnel safety is about protecting myself.
I successfully defused the situation and no one was hurt, a worse situation was avoided.
Apologising does not make me weak, trying to talk myself out of the situation is my first priority.
SDFEssex self defence personal safety tips – Keep safe.
SDFEssex self defence personal safety training is empowering, helps to build awareness, confidence, self esteem and fitness, it’s a life skill and great fun.