June 3rd, 2008 |  Print This Post |  Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email |  

Security awareness has always been an aspect of day to day living, but lately it has become a hot button issue due to the rise in terrorism and other present dangers that we face today. The above point could be viewed as a major reason for the heightened pressure to promote security consciousness in everyone and their mother, but really, security has always been a fundamental personal obligation – security is a way of life.

I once told a friend that I am very security conscious to the point that has become a habit. I guess she couldn’t understand what the big deal was. To some people it may appear to be heightened paranoia. Like everything, that’s relative, right? In effect, her reactions alluded that it made sense to practice security measures sometimes, but other times these steps could seem unnecessary. I believe that mindset undermines the whole reason behind personal and/or public safety. This can probably be attested by the countless security professionals out there.

It is common knowledge (or at least it should be) that security is only effective if practiced continuously – I’ll give an illustration. If you lock your doors and set the burglar alarm tonight (and every night) before you go to sleep, you do so not because you think someone is going to break into your house tonight, but because you don’t know when an assailant is going to attack. You are just being prepared for that eventuality. Ultimately, it soon becomes a habit you don’t give much thought to. However, you can lock your doors every night in a year and nothing happens, but the day you forget to lock your door, or choose not to because you question the point behind it (being that you live in a “safe” neighborhood), that’s the day a burglar strikes. In that instance, what you’ve effectively done is waste your time locking up all these days because the likely eventuality you’ve been preparing for, you have failed to succeed when it counted the most.

There are different areas of security that I feel are worth mentioning. They are physical, emotional, spiritual, information security. There is a lot of information on the internet surrounding security principles (especially personal and information security). Some of them are more common knowledge than others, but in this article I will talk on some principles I typically apply, and save the others for a follow-up article.

A Person’s Stride

The way you walk says a lot about your confidence level. If your stride is right, it should say to everyone around, “I know where I am, and I know where I’m going. I understand my surroundings, and I’ll notice immediately if anything is out of place.” This way you have a little more control of your current situation. If you’re lost, clueless and scattered, or don’t always have your wits about you, then you can easily become a target.

Listening to Music Using Headphones

Listening to music is usually a distraction when done at the wrong time. I have long noticed a while back that if I am walking in the parking lot with my headphones in my ears listening to my iPod MP-3 player with the music volume turned up, I usually lose awareness of my surroundings. This is because I typically enjoy and get into the music I’m listening to, and thus get lost in it, and/or cease to hear the other sounds around me because the music is so loud. The negative effect of this is that someone can easily sneak up on you from behind and you’d never have a chance to see or hear it coming. Apart from the fact that depending on your neighborhood, you may be advertising to illicit characters that you have a couple of hundred dollars worth of listening pleasure in your possession.

Having a Comfortable Attire

On different occasions, I can recall telling different friends that I never wear shoes that I don’t feel comfortable running in (that also goes for shoes without adequate traction). The initial responses are typically slight snickers, comment on me being paranoid, or having an affinity for negative thoughts - the list goes on. I know what I’m saying and typically ladies should be able to relate, though in an instance where I would fore go style for comfort (especially to an outing), women usually won’t – and that’s fine.

Sure, I can take off my shoes and start running, but that could cost valuable running time. Apart from the fact that I may not know the terrain I am running on, or what hostile objects exist that the shoes I’m supposed to be wearing should protect me from. Also, I do not wear clothing that is either uncomfortable or limits the kind of range of motion I typically prefer. I will wear a winter cap, but I really dislike hoods because they tend to limit my peripheral vision. I like to have as much control of a situation and my environment as I possibly can.

Facing the exit (or major thoroughfare)

Usually when I’m dining out with friends at a restaurant, or out in any public area, I always like to sit in a position where I can see the exits. I like to see everyone as they come in, or go out; I like to see everyone as they walk the walk-ways, etc. I’m not always overly scrutinizing people – far from that. I just want to be in a position to notice something off when it does occur so I can react accordingly.

Advertising Possessions

I think everyone knows that it is not a good idea to showcase what you have to the general public – or at least we knew at some point. Just as you typically won’t leave your blinks open to advertise the contents of your house, you should refrain from advertising yourself as much as possible when outside. This is generally hard because the latest convention is “flaunt it if you have it”. Apparently, there is a lot more false sense of gratification when people see you living large, as opposed to living little. Always have it at the back of your mind that this could always be a drastic mistake.

You go shopping and you are using public transportation, try to mask you shopping bags as much as possible especially when shopping at high end stores. Refrain from flashing diamond rings to friends in open public. Do not leave expensive items in your car (or items that appear expensive) and do not transfer them to the trunk at your destination.

I’ve been mugged once years ago because I didn’t keep my items concealed; the mugger had apparently been watching me for a while and I didn’t see it coming. A friend has also been mugged because he was distracted while listening to music on his headphones. Sometimes things happen regardless of what steps you take, but you don’t want to be in a situation where prudent action may have saved you from being an unexpected victim. As far as security goes, most attackers understand that they face lesser risks selecting an unprepared victim as opposed to one who is very well prepared.

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