Vigilance of surroundings advised for Christmas season
The Christmas season is fast approaching and people have spent their entire savings prepping to enjoy the season, and criminals see this as a way to commit crimes and steal from those people.
Patroy Jones, self-defence instructor, encourages people to be vigilant of their surroundings and ‘be the grey guy when going out’. A grey guy is a person who endeavours not to attract the attention of criminals and avoids wearing any type of jewellery when going out. Jones advises even your wedding ring, which holds sentimental attachment, should be left at home.
In situations like this people must learn how to practice ‘target hardening’ in other words make yourself a hard target. In doing this, Jones says people must do a risk assessment of places you intend to visit before going there. This includes calculating your steps, doing research on the area before you go there and knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Jones says “if you are injured in any type of way that could be a weakness that will hinder you from fighting off a criminal”.
Jones also highlighted that criminals were using bikes to conduct criminal activities. He advises that “once you hear a bike, your body should become alert, especially when there are two people on the bike’. The second individual on the bike is known as a pillion and he is generally the one who will carry out the act. In these situations, Jones advises that a person should seek for a get-a-way or a diversion.
Criminals choose their target based on observation or by default. Someone’s behaviour in public can make them a target by default as they brandish expensive items like their phones, or a watch and these criminals take the opportunity to rob them. On the other hand, “a criminal will spend time observing your pattern, where you go, at what time and what you do”, says Jones. It is advised that you try to change your routine daily and be more observant of your surroundings.
Jamaica recorded 672 robberies between 1 January and 20 November. A resident of Cross Roads, Kingston, said they were robbed at gunpoint by two men on a bike. “They just rode up to me and asked for my phone, they did not take anything else”, said the resident. The resident also said that they are now more alert whenever they heard a bike approaching.
