Situational awareness is being alert to your immediate conditions or position. You use
this awareness to spot individuals acting inappropriate in a personal, public or social
situation. Be alert to:
- an escalation in behaviors
- change in voice tone
- getting closer to you than is necessary
- behaving in a strange manner
An amateur criminal is easy to identify. It doesn’t matter if you are an easy target or
not, you just have to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time. An amateur criminal:
- usually walks with an attitude
- elbows pushed away from body
- verbally aggressive and rude to people within a few feet
- confrontations are usually triggered by eye contact
Most criminals are in plain view, but due to a lack of situational awareness, the
intended victim is clueless to their presence.
I never understood why fear is a qualification. Awareness is a qualification, alertness is a qualification, knowledge is a qualification. - Sadhgura
A seasoned criminal uses a technique known as interviewing to determine if you
are an easy target. There are (4) types of interviewing methods criminals use:
Distant Interview - Takes place from a distance. This interview is done without
direct interaction to determine a person’s defensive capabilities. A criminal uses this
method to regularly identify easy targets.
Distraction Interview - The criminal makes a simple request to distract the
victim and get into position. An example of this is to ask for directions, help getting in
or out of a vehicle, etc.
Hostile Interview - This type of interview is intended to confuse and provoke the
victim with an onslaught of profanity and hostility.
Escalating Interview - Interaction with the criminal starts calm but quickly
becomes hostile. With this technique, the criminal tests boundaries, intimidates and
confuses the victim. It is not uncommon for this to occur within a “pack” situation.
A situation is neither positive nor negative. Every situation demands a different kind of response. Just be aware. -Sadhguru
To defeat these interviewing techniques, you must be aware of who is watching you,
maintain an assertive not aggressive presence, observe your boundaries and
most importantly, stay calm. Your reactions verbal or physical can cause the
situation to escalate.
Remember, the more time you spend on honing your awareness, the quicker you
will be able to remove yourself from or react to a potentially dangerous situation.
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