You might feel like the holiday season is approaching quickly this year. Christmas lights and decorations are already emerging and brightening up the dark evenings.
Now, as the office parties, celebrations and festive events take place, people will be keen to have fun and get distracted from what may have been a difficult year for many.
At the same time, as someone who advises companies, families and high-profile figures on how to avoid dangerous threats, I would say this is also an important time to raise awareness levels.
Firstly, it gets dark earlier now and muggers, along with other street criminals, do take advantage of the low visibility once daylight fades.
Try to avoid poorly lit areas, whether walking around or parking your car. When there are festive parties going on, thieves can be active especially in bars, restaurants and pubs.
During celebrations, it’s easy to assume friends or colleagues are watching each other’s bags, but often guards get dropped and bags disappear. Even phones left on tables can suddenly get removed by quick hands.
This could be on a street or on public transport. Route selection is important, as is choosing the safest way of getting home. It’s also much better if people can avoid travelling alone. When waiting for a private taxi to arrive, choose carefully where you wait and actively engage your situational awareness when exiting venues and when arriving at your house or apartment building.
Another factor to take into account is that as we get closer to the end of the year, people’s energy levels can dwindle. When people are tired, it can affect their levels of alertness. Should someone look fatigued, it makes them a more inviting target for all kinds of criminals. Try to clock those moments when fatigue sets in and awareness dwindles.
In my training approach, Tri-Tier, there are three levels of training. One of these is resilience. By building your resilience, you become a less appealing target.
Simple practices like the utilisation of your breathing in a focused way and adjusting your posture, can reignite awareness and energy levels. Then, we will use principles and practices from older martial arts traditions, so this resilience and awareness training can be taken to even more subtle levels.
Enhance your home/shop/store security locking mechanism.
Introduce enhanced security locking protocols. Be it padlocks, hand operated locks, etc, one needs reputable locks to secure a home, shop or a warehouse.
If the risk is so high (your house, shop, warehouse has high value items) deploy enhanced due diligence measures (EDD), you can have a warehouse with goods worth Shs1b and you want to use an ordinary padlock.
Don’t drink and drive.
Traffic police will be on the roads to enforce behaviour while on the road but this alone is not good enough. Self discipline is the deal. Don’t rush, leave early, drive safely and reach home in peace not in pieces. Stop and stretch every two hours. Avoid night driving where possible. Hydrate with juices and water as much as possible. Shop early.
Fake products are entering the market now. Fake in terms of adulteration, weight, expiration, etc. To avoid buying counterfeit products, shop early and shop from reorganised places.
Where possible, obtain a receipt. Avoid street purchases, especially when goods appear cheaper than the average market price
Leave someone in your house.
If the whole family is going to the village for festive season celebrations, try to leave an adult at home. If impossible, secure guarding services from private security companies. The bad guys are monitoring you.
Situational awareness refers to the ability to perceive and understand your environment, recognise potential hazards, and predict their impact. It involves being mindful of your surroundings, identifying changes, and responding appropriately to maintain safety.
Genuine security agencies will endeavour to secure us but they also have limitations. The best police officer is yourself. Appreciate your surrounding.
Lastly, information contributes a lot in the space of security and safety. We can get information through social media, electronic and print media. Listen to radios and follow what’s happening within the region, the locality and the nation as whole.
Christmas and end year are just two days. Don’t lose your life because of two days when you have managed to keep safe for 360 days.
Safety and security is everyone’s responsibility. Do your part and the police will do its part.