Personal safety, Help!

[faefrost]

Is a defensive weapon like Pepper Spray legal in the UK? If so that might not be a bad option for a jacket pocket. Otherwise take every possible precaution. Always leave work in pairs after dark, etc.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

I must admit I feel a little silly asking this, but hey, all you Escapist guys and gals seem to be pretty good with everything so why not.

To cut a long story short, I work at a Game shop in the UK, hours are fairly low due to high staff numbers, but I love the work, and I love talking to people about video games. Recently I was given a shift in a town about a half hour/forty five minuet drive away, As I needed the money I took it, due to good performance they want to give me more hours there, which absolutely rocks, so already I'm going to be spending a few days of next week there, with a real chance of getting a position on the management team over there.

Now my problem is that this town I've been given these shifts in could be easily described as a terrible, terrible, place. The town is full of yobs, and angry drunks, muggings are more common than in other places in my county, and as a testament to how bad the place is their annual town bonfire has been 'indefinably suspended' due to the fact there is at least one stabbing every time it happens, one of my colleges used to be a bouncer at a fairly respected club there, and he got stabbed in the back by someone who mistook him for an enemy of there's (obviously he survived relativity unharmed, just a bit of stiffness here and there). Obviously I'm being a little dramatic, this stuff doesn't happen everyday, it's not a war zone or anything,there are no roving gangs of Fallout three-esk bandits roaming the town, but what I'm trying to say is it's not a great place.

I'm a little lost, what exactly is the question here?

I'd say have a weapon on you, but my experience with UK weapon laws is that anything above a nail file will land you in the slammer, so...throw your wallet at them and run, I guess.

 

[spartan231490]

snip If you find yourself in that situation fucking throw your wallet at them.

Reading this triggered a memory for me, one of the best things to do when mugged is to cooperate except when they ask for your money, don't hand it to them, throw it away from both of you. While they go for the money, run. They're more interested in the wallet than you. I don't remember where I heard it though.

Also, you might want to just check with the local PD and see what they suggest. Odds are that they know the situation pretty well, and they might have some really good advice.

Silly question, but how does one "walk confidently"? Fast? Slowly? Strutting around like you own the place? Or just not giving a rat's ass?

There's a lot to it, but the two biggest things are to keep your head and eyes up; and to not slump your shoulders. Don't puff your chest up or look down at people, that's too far. Best advice, go to a mall or something and watch people walking around, and you'll see some of them looking more confident than others, watch what they do.

On the other hand, a good martial arts group will teach you everything, from how to keep yourself from looking like a target, to how to protect yourself empty handed, and many of them will also allow you to take weapons training classes.

Wait, do you mean actual martial arts or self-defense groups? I think they are slightly different things.

I've seen a couple of martial arts groups (Karate, Judo, Taekwondo) in action and they seem to be primarily practicing the actual actual art rather than going over real-life self defense situations. More oriented with improving fitness, agility, stamina, learning art-specific techniques, stances/moves, etc. While I'm not saying that could be useful, in a typical self-defense situation the first thing people tend to do is forget all the fancy stuff they've learned and resort to raw motor skills.

I think there are specific self-defense classes that don't focus on any particular martial art, only ways to maximize self-protection and incapacitate/stop attackers as quickly and easily as possible (stuff that almost anyone is capable of regardless of fitness/strength). It could be derived from what US Marines use...no specific martial art, just some key sets of go-to moves to inflict painful shit in hand-to-hand scenarios

All the martial arts schools I've heard of practice some real-life defense situations as well, and combined with the general martial art training it's pretty solid self-defense training.

 

[barbzilla]

KNIFE IS BAD IDEA FOR SELF DEFENSE

Couple reasons:
A) It's a lethal threat and if you have to use it, it's a lethal weapon... and while logically it's nice to have one if someone else does, you don't want to be in a knife fight, if personal safety is something you're after.
B) It's really hard to justify the use of a knife in self defense, legally. Incidents with edged weapons are a lot more likely to go to court if the police get involved.

I think this is pretty well universally true, especially so for some areas.

Get some martial arts training and be physically fit; it will appear in how you project yourself. Its my experience that thugs see right through a pretend 'macho walk', or might rise to challenge it. Beyond that, avoid confrontations and if forced into a fight, your best course is to stun and run. Strike quickly and move with force, then leg it.

Finally, if you're *determined* to arm yourself I'd suggest a weighty flashlight, PD spray, or hard stick.

*One edit, regarding Knives. They're wonderful tools and I'm not against having one about you, just don't get it involved in violence.

Pretty much this, most knife fights are over in a matter of seconds, and nobody truly wins (and this is from someone trained in Mantas Daga). Understand that the best form of defense when it comes to combat is to not be involved. In other words, avoid the fight as often as possible. I have been training in various martial arts for the better part of 18 years, and I've been in all of three fights. That isn't because I wasn't confronted, but I knew when to run, when to de-escalate the situation, and when to stay and fight (note: the last one isn't often). As such I have only ever lost one fight, and that was a knife fight. I say I lost, but the attacker took the worst of it, still though I ended up in the hospital as well.

Avoid knives, avoid fights, and learn the places to avoid and you should be fine.

 

[Ryan Hughes]

Click on the spoiler, read it again, and do that. Some people on this thread seem to be talking utter nonsense.
'Carry a knife' indeed.

I've worked as security for years and trained martial arts for even longer.

My advice?

Listen to what Ryan Hughes said. With the caveat being that if you are going down the spray route just make sure it's legal to use where you are. For example it's illegal in Ireland where I'm from.

Thank you, it is always nice to have your opinion validated by a fellow professional gentleman. And you are quite right that there have been some downright dangerous suggestions here.

I did some research and found that both Tasers and Chemical/Mace/Pepper Spray are illegal in most parts of the UK. Which is somewhat understandable, likely better than the US, where everything is legal, except brass knuckles/cestus. Odd, high-powered assault rifles are legal, but brass knuckles are a felony for merely possessing them in many states.

OT: I realize my original post may have seemed a bit aggressive, but I assure you that the UK is far more stable than many parts of the US, and I believe that it is unlikely you will become the victim of an assault if you keep the right frame of mind.

Many have said here that you need to work on your muscles or that you need to 'act' tough or intimidating. I am all of 5 foot 8 inches, normal build, perhaps slightly athletic, and have walked some the world's most dangerous streets, including Beijing and Bangkok, without any weapons and without any trouble. This is not because I am intimidating, but because I am aware without being afraid.

This has to come from your own confidence, not from how you look, dress, or act. Confidence can only be found within, and you need to find that for yourself, no one on an internet forum can give it to you. It can be very difficult at first, but if you hold your head high and pay attention, it is highly unlikely that anyone will cause trouble for you.

It should go without saying though, that if someone mugs you, give them what they want. If they want your wallet, fine. Watch, rings and even car keys, fine, hand them over. Those are just metal and money and they are easily replaced. Considering your user name, I assume you are male, and that means giving the mugger what they want will work 999 times out of 1,000. Women, unfortunately, do not have things so easily.

If you want advice on that 1/1,000 chance though, I would be happy to help you find a dojo or school that would suit you in your area. Not to brag, but I know a bit about these things, and I am sure I could help you find a school that teaches solid martial arts.

 

[LadyLightning]

You could always walk around dressed in an Assassin's Creed robe or a Hylian tunic. On the way to work, you look crazy and unapproachable walking around in cosplay, and when you get to work, well, you're a game character at a game shop. lul

 

[Saika Renegade]

Walk with a cane.

No, I'm serious. Find a nice, solid, hardwood cane and walk with it as an accessory, not as a movement aid. I have a few friends in the UK who have told me that firearms violence is not as common, but knife and cosh violence is still a thing. So... invest in a nice, solid cane, and in a pinch you can defend yourself by the simple expedient of gripping and swinging. A well made cane can be used to jab, swing, bludgeon, and disarm. You will have more reach than all but the most extreme of bladed weapons (which probably wouldn't be allowed out in public as they would have to be swords or spears). While I may be wrong, I'm to understand you can't be ticketed for owning what is at worst a fashion accessory. If some chav really means to start the business, you are substantially less likely to kill them with a cane if you have to protect yourself.

I say this having lived in and worked in rough neighborhoods (and I still do), and have found that while would-be toughs will still try to antagonize a man with a cane (and I need it for an actual leg injury that hampers my walking, no less), the barely-literate thug who accosted me did not want to hang around to get hit in the head or stomach again after the first time. As I live in the southern United States I am aware of the potential of having been shot in this incident, but I am glad to say this was not the case. The officer who took my statement did not necessarily agree with my actions, but seeing as how my antagonist wanted a fight rather than my money and my inability to move at any pace above a limp means that I could not have retreated from the situation, it was about the best outcome I could have hoped for.

Barring all that personal defense business, befriend your local police chief and your store manager; bring them together for a quick meeting to discuss the possibility of some sort of panic button that will automatically alert an authority to a crime in progress.

 

[Karma168]

Carry something threatening on your person, like a knife and try to appear confident. Pretty much do everything in your power to look like a bad target.

No, no, no. Worst advice ever. Police catch you with a knife and you're fucked, they don't care if it's for show and you don't plan on stabbing anyone. Police find a knife on you and you can kiss management chances goodbye, they don't take that stuff lightly because of how bad knife crime is in some areas.

So... I'm going to guess that carrying knives around in the UK is a much worse crime than in the US. Good to know.

Yeah, since we don't have guns to the same degree as the US, people are more likely to use knives in crimes like muggings/robberies/etc. so police crack down hard on anyone carrying one without good reason.

p.s. Sorry if my first post seemed a bit aggressive. Just read it back there, wording's not great.

 

[Ravage]

I don't know the gun laws out there too well.

But if you're given an option whether to conceal or not, I suggest concealing. Element of surprise and all.

Otherwise all the advice above me is fantastic. Just something to consider.

 

[saruman31]

If anybody ever tries to mug you, you have 2 chocies; make sure you can take him out in 1 punch or run. If he is smaller than you go for the punch, if not, run.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Carry something threatening on your person, like a knife and try to appear confident. Pretty much do everything in your power to look like a bad target.

No, no, no. Worst advice ever. Police catch you with a knife and you're fucked, they don't care if it's for show and you don't plan on stabbing anyone. Police find a knife on you and you can kiss management chances goodbye, they don't take that stuff lightly because of how bad knife crime is in some areas.

So... I'm going to guess that carrying knives around in the UK is a much worse crime than in the US. Good to know.

Very much so. In the US carrying around anything up to about 3.25 inches long is fine pretty much anywhere, with some jurisdictions letting you carry something even longer. I carry one that long /as a tool/[footnote]And use it pretty much every day. Have various screwdrivers, bottle openers and the like on my keychain, too. You just never know when you might need to cut open a package or tighten a screw.[/footnote], not a weapon, and I'm totally within my rights. In the UK a cop would take one look at the thing and arrest me. Especially since, in addition to the length, it's got a locking blade and can be opened one handed, which are a safety feature and cool, respectively, but big no-nos in the UK.

 

[Bug MuIdoon]

I'd just like to point out this to the OP:

6) Try not to view all the chavs as a nuisance, but rather as loud youths with a chip on their shoulder. If you're friendly and show you can take a joke, 99 times out of 100 that would improve the situation rather than escalate it.

Don't assume those 'chavs' hanging around are trouble. There's not a whole lot for youth to do here in the UK in general, so hanging around with mates on the street, listening to music and having a laugh is one of the only 'free' things to do. I've done it in my youth, you've probably done it, even your parents probably did it. But don't assume they're bad people. Don't avoid large groups, walk by them with confidence. You might get a joke thrown at you, but laugh it off. You might start to realise that the same group of people hang around that area quite regularly and you can rely on that group as a bit of safety if something else happens on your way home. You might even make a friend, you never know.

Not sure if you smoke or not, but I always find a good piece of advice is to approach people or groups you're a bit wary of and ask if anyone has a light for your cigarette. You'll show them that you mean no ill towards them and that you're confident enough to approach them. (Please note though that this might cost you a cigarette of your own when they ask you for one back)

For everything else, listen to Yossarian. He lives.

 

[Ryan Hughes]

Have you considered soiling yourself? The attacker will feel such revulsion that he'll flee into the night without harming you. Once you've trained yourself to vomit, defecate, and urinate on command you'll be untouchable.

Well, I suppose opponents paralyzed by hysterical fits of laughter are easier to deafeat.

Act like you are tweaked out of your mind. Nobody is going to attack you if they dont know what you are on.

I think that might be the worst idea I have ever heard. Addicts will attack if they think you are carrying. Not only that, but the cops will harass or arrest you. . .

Carry something threatening on your person, like a knife and try to appear confident. Pretty much do everything in your power to look like a bad target.

No, no, no. Worst advice ever. Police catch you with a knife and you're fucked, they don't care if it's for show and you don't plan on stabbing anyone. Police find a knife on you and you can kiss management chances goodbye, they don't take that stuff lightly because of how bad knife crime is in some areas.

So... I'm going to guess that carrying knives around in the UK is a much worse crime than in the US. Good to know.

It doesn't even have anything to do with that. Knives are one of two things: tools or killing weapons, and only a fool uses them for personal defense. this person is serious, please do not give advice if you do not know what you are talking about.

 

[Sovvolf]

All the martial arts schools I've heard of practice some real-life defense situations as well, and combined with the general martial art training it's pretty solid self-defense training.

Depends entirely on the teacher and the gym itself. Most gyms I've trained at, we've done nothing of the sort and mainly practiced the art it self. I've been to one or two that did teach self defense for real-life situations but the training was questionable at the best. Such as my TKD instructor teaching people to disarm and deflect a knife attack using an outer crescent kick... Suffice it to say, I don't train there anymore...

Generally you'll learn to defend yourself as a bi-product of learning martial arts. Though again as I keep stressing, learning martial arts is not going to solve the problem, it takes years upon years of dedicated training, keeping your body in a great physical shape, spending your free time and money putting it into the gym, full change of diet and life style. The works. If you're looking for a quick and easy solution, look elsewhere.

Though, if you do take that as a solution, least in the long run, you'll be in such a good physical shape that you'll not need any of that self-defense training. Cause you'll look like the fellow no one wants to pick on or mug and you'll have that walk of confidence without having to fake it and without even being consciously aware of it.