STREETWISE
STREETWISE is the complete
manual of personal security & Karate has over 40 years experience in the
self defence. This manual is martial arts.
not another martial arts in
jeans type self defence book. Whilst a former Great Britain and England
It combines the detailed Karate International, he is also acknowl-
concepts and procedures from
edged as one of the countrys leading
the world of Executive
Protection, with the very best experts in self defence. As an International
of the physical aspects of self
Security Consultant, Peter lectures world-
defence.
wide on matters of Personal security and
SUBJECTS COVERED
Principals of Personal Awareness.
Security
A professional bodyguard and author of
Awareness Training System
Threat Pyramid The Modern Bodyguard Peter brings his
Colour Codes wealth of expertise of conflict and its
Security on the Street
Psycology of Conflict management to Streetwise. BE YOUR OWN
Fear and Adrenal Responses
BODYGUARD
As well as teaching on a consultancy basis
Personal Threat Analysis
at a National Police Training College, Peter
Personal Security Procedures
Home, Mobile and Office also teaches defensive tactics to many
Security
other British Police Forces.
Conflict Resolution
Self Defence and the Law
Myths of Martial Arts
Ranges and Tools
Impact Development
Wepons of the Body
Knife Defence - Realities P U B L I S H E D B Y
Multiple Attackers
Protection
Streetwise ISBN. 1 873475 527 PUBLICATIONS
PRICE UK 24.99 S U M M E R S D A L E
in association with
Pp
BY PETER CONSTERDINE
CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 1
STREETWISE
BY
PETER CONSTERDINE
PROTECTION PUBLICATIONS
In Association With
SUMMERSDALE
CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 2
STREETWISE
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translated into a
machine language without the written permission of the publisher.
Protection Publications
Chel Centre
26 Roundhay Road
Leeds
LS7 1AB
United Kingdom
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 1 873475 52 7
Please note: The author and the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any proceedings or
prosecutions brought or instituted against any person or body as a result of the use or misuse of any
techniques described in this book or any loss, injury or damage caused thereby.
CONTENTS C 30/1/09 11:29 am Page 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank all those who have contributed their time to the
photos in this book, with special thanks to:-
A special thanks to Peter Robins for his contribution to the text as well
as photographs and thanks to Bob Kasper (G.H.C.A.) for use of the
photographs of Charles Nelson and John Kary.
C O N T E N T S
PAGE
INTRODUCTION 1
PART 1
PART 2
FIT TO FIGHT
(The Manual of Intense Training for Combat)
VIDEOS
POWERSTRIKE
POWERKICK
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Introduction
started writing this book over person or victim and how, in reality, that
I
twenty years ago. Since then person - you or I - copes or doesnt
many of my thoughts and views cope in situations of fear and stress.
on the subject of self protection We need the assistance of psychology
have been published in articles in to help us understand the relationships
various martial arts magazines between such things as thoughts,
and elsewhere. However each time I character traits, outside stimuli and
felt ready to put pen to paper for the behaviour. We also need to understand
complete work there was always the chemical responses our body
another element that I knew was promotes under extreme stress.
missing or incomplete. This was the
very detailed body of work on personal Also attitudes and beliefs we all
security which has been drawn from individually hold, add further colour to
the specialist areas of security industry, the picture and effect how we will
particularly the close protection (body- respond to a variety of situations. If
guarding) field. your religious beliefs condition your
attitude to the extent that you will
The sum total of personal security and incline to turn the other cheek then
self defence becomes a very large, you could be in big problems in the
very complex picture with varying street.
shades of grey. There are few blacks
and whites and Ive only now really felt Equally, a person, whose belief system
that I have all the pieces to put in place. is that it will never happen to me has
My main concern has been the an attitude to personal safety which will
humanistic side of the picture - i.e. the probably make him or her disregardful
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
of the inherent dangers of people and what they have learned, will spring into
places and is in what we call denial. action and save the day. You only have
Also a person who is daily bombarded to look at the plethora of videos on
with the sounds, images and stress of a the subject, produced by celebrities!
busy cosmopolitan city has learned, at to see this type of approach, unfortu-
a sub-conscious level, to switch off to nately, at work. If you believe for one
most of the external stimuli, but in minute that these techniques will work
doing so their awareness levels of for you then you are in big trouble.
incoming threat are dulled and There is a deceit at work when such
nullified. Assault attempts, be they videos show a five foot ex-singer
rape, mugging, gratuitous violence, control and throw a six foot, fourteen
succeed because there is a hugely stone male.
successful strategy at work employed
by the attacker and, although this is Ive written critically and for many years
also supported by the application of about the run of the mill self defence
only simple, basic psychology it classes, videos and articles which
succeeds in the main because of the make no mention of fear and its effects
total unpreparedness of the victim. on the situation. Now I read in such
articles and hear people say oh by the
Many years ago I coined the phrase way dont forget fear - then thats it!
Self Protection, to more aptly describe They add nothing further, its simply
what I teach. This was to remove the sufficient to have mentioned it. To
negative element out of the phrase balance what I have said, however,
Self Defence, which was actually the there are some good books on self
word defence. Defence, by most defence;
peoples perceptions and definition Dead or Alive by Geoff Thompson.
seems to require that a physical act Unleash The Lioness by Robin
of aggression must have been Houseman.
perpetrated against them before a Dogs Dont Know Kung Fu by Jamie
response is possible or appropriate. It OKeefe.
also deceives people, particularly The latter two being primarily slanted to
women, who have attended the womens safety.
ubiquitous self defence classes that
they somehow now have within them a All are blessed with honest reality and
system which, if they are suddenly are often graphic in their descriptions of
attacked, or faced with violence, that violent incidents against people. They
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
are very salutary works and convey far don'ts and telling people what to do
better than I will in this book the sheer and what not to do, although this very
horror and consequences of such much would be what I seem to be
crimes as rape, serious assaults and doing in Part 1 on personal security.
murders. With these as recommended Most personal security is common
reading I want to broaden further sense (once its been pointed out) but,
the whole subject matter so that what this book hopes to achieve is to
Streetwise will be the reference take the concepts and philosophies,
manual for every aspect of Self which I believe are inseparable from
Protection, whether you are teaching the dos and don'ts and get people
self defence, conflict management or to think through the psychology of
personal security, a police officer or, as confrontation and the management of
most readers will be, interested on a their environment for themselves.
personal level to know how best to
protect themselves and their families. A do in one situation may actually be
a dont in another and, therefore, it is
The size of the book and the complex- important that a person is tutored in
ities of the subject matter dont easily how to be analytical of their situation
serve to help form a personal protec- and environment at all times and so
tive strategy, but you will find that come up with their own solution. I read
much of what you read will be about a definition of self defence on the
yourself and possibly some recognition Internet which I thought was a good
of how you may act in certain circum- attempt at encapsulating the subject
stances. Hopefully you will concur and matter - self defence is a set of
make changes in beliefs and attitudes. awareness, assertiveness, verbal
If you can recognise and change confrontation skills, with safety strate-
certain entrenched beliefs then this will gies and physical techniques that
have worked. enable someone to successfully
escape, resist, and survive violent
What I hope you will get from this book attacks.
is the correct mind-set. I want to alter (From the Assault Prevention
your attitudes - both to the reality of Information Network APIN). This is
violence and, most importantly, your fine, but in some ways serves to
correct role in the event. Self confuse because it addresses too
Protection should not simply be about many issues under one banner.
giving people a long list of dos and
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
My problem with self defence per se, is of personal security. The self defence
that the subject matter, as a whole, is genre are usually the product of
usually presented as one amorphous martial artists and the work on per-
mess. When I wrote The Modern sonal security is, as a consequence,
Bodyguard I approached it from the treated in such books as a by-product
angle of wanting to put very complex of the physical techniques they want to
subject matter into convenient boxes show you.
as far I could and so it is with
Streetwise. Our ultimate goal is to be The elements of personal security they
capable of taking control of our own do mention are usually those you can
Self Protection. To achieve this will find in motoring association handouts
necessitate understanding certain aimed at the female driver, or those
philosophies, psychology, and issued by the insurance companies
concepts and become acquainted with (with whom you have your house
situational strategies- this is Personal insurance) dealing with locks and
Security and will occupy us for the first alarms.The advice and points made
half of the book. Good self protection is are not incorrect, but usually only
99% about getting this first half right represent about 10% of the whole
which concentrates on prevention, subject matter.
but as we will see there can be no
guarantee of absolute success and a Ive seen some of the worst efforts
person must then be able to have produced by martial artists who have a
confidence in their physical skills and perception as to how violence will
this is Part 2, the physical, Self occur and what they will do about it.
Defence. The attacks they portray are martial
arts formed. By that I mean that they
SELF PROTECTION are based on punches and kicks that
they practise in the dojo. Even people
who you think would know better are
PERSONAL SELF guilty of this.
SECURITY DEFENCE
A book choreographed by a former
There are reasonably large numbers British police officer and traditional
of books available on the subject of Karateka is one of the worst examples
self defence and a negligible number which practices this deception that -
available on the very obscure subject firstly people are attacked like this in
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wrists and it just doesn't happen like out of an alley or bushes at you, bowl
that. There is also one of the typical you over, strike first (usually in the dark
knife defences where the knife is so you wont see anything to block), hit
pointed at a woman, whos had time to hard and often and injure you before
wrap a coat around her arm, if you can you even come to terms with whats
believe it - if shes had time for that, happening. Panic, shock, fear,
shes had time to run. Its complete surprise, adrenaline are your main
bollocks! Watch a video on football enemies, not the fist or the foot of your
opponent - yet, those who
dont know, but presume to
tell us how, are deceiving
people into a totally false
sense of security by mak-
ing them falsely believe
how attacks take place
and then compound the
felony by giving them
unworkable techniques.
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
philosophy you will get from this book, What do you think about as you
an individual should be better armed to approach your car?
be able to sort the wheat from the chaff Do you think about avoiding dark-
of self defence classes. ness and isolation?
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Reactive - The thought and prepara- The obvious and life threatening situa-
tion youve dedicated to what you will tions are relatively clear. In the majori-
do if you are victimised: ty of case histories and post incident
What if you are being followed? studies an immediate action or respon-
What if you hear someone in your sive action (Reactive) was required. In
home at night? other recorded incidents a less imme-
What if you are approached getting diate and responsive course of action
into or out of your car? was called for. In other words the per-
What if youre physically assaulted? son should have time to assess the
What if you are threatened with a developing situation, read the body
knife in the street? language and thus act in a manner
which prevents the progression of the
Over the next few chapters I hope to event (Proactive). This book will teach
give you the knowledge to arrive at the you how to do both.
answers for yourself. When confronted
with a potentially violent situation a
person must be able to recognise the
danger signals eg; when a person or
persons are about to cross the line
from anger, which is an emotion, to
violence, which is a physical action. It
would be useful to define violence:-
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1
C H A P T E R O N E
Basic Principles of
Personal Security
n any personal strategy for subject and throughout the whole of
I
improving ones safety, avoidance this book we will look at the procedures
of threat and risk must constitute which we can employ to get us safely
90% of the overall requirement. down the street, down the road, from
Having physical skills and home to work and back again.
techniques is essential, but it has
to be accepted that to have to use them In the world of Close Protection
means something has gone wrong with (Bodyguarding) we apply ourselves to
our other avoidance strategies. The ensuring that all the preventative,
point should be made though, that proactive measures (Procedures) are
whilst our physical skills required are in place when we are looking after a
often less than 10%, we must be 100% VIP. This does not mean that we ignore
effective with that 10 %. the eventuality of it not working on
occasion and we must therefore be
The definition we use in the Close skilled at the defensive, reactive (Drills)
Protection field for personal security which come into play if danger
may help:- threatens
The object of personal security is to
reduce the risk of kidnap, assassi- So it should be with an individuals
nation, or criminal act, by the appli- own, personal risk reduction strategy.
cation of certain Principles and A person must learn to be their own
Procedures to normal daily life Bodyguard and this means learning all
the various procedures that are applied
Shortly we will look at the 3 principles to look after a person of importance,
which guide us in all matters on the accepting that, to ourselves we are no
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less important than the next billionaire. where people feel others are looking
The only difference is that he can pay after their welfare, and general office
to have the necessary skill level security is not really their concern.
applied to his situation, whereas you They do not believe that their singular
will need to learn and apply how it is actions or omissions can prejudice the
carried out yourself. many. When in the street it is
ourselves, not the police who we turn
The first thing is to look at some to for help. In the office it is us who
guiding principles of personal security are responsible for ensuring that
and those of you who have my book we comply with security rules and not
The Modern Bodyguard will be someone else's responsibility to
familiar with them and they are that:- maintain a safe working environment.
We must learn to lock doors, challenge
THE INDIVIDUAL IS RESPONSIBLE strangers, wear our IDs, report our
FOR HIS OR HER OWN SECURITY. suspicions etc.
THAT SECURITY MEASURES MUST Buying this book is a good sign that you
BE COMMENSURATE WITH THE subscribe to this principle, but the
THREAT. principle must be extended to
everything we do. If you are unhappy
THAT AWARENESS IS THE with a situation, be it a fire risk,
CORNERSTONE OF GOOD security risk, say something and try to
PERSONAL SECURITY. effect change. Many of us feel that we
are a victim of our work environment.
Lets look at each in turn. We may be one of many hundreds of
people in the organisation and unable
The Individual is Responsible to influence change for the better. That
No one other than ourselves can be being the case then you should be
responsible for our security, however, more individually aware to look after
when I talk to people, they are often number one.
of the belief that others are, more
responsible for looking after them than
they themselves. Equally many people
believe that their own part to play in
security issues is not important. I come
across this in work environments
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RISK
It takes very little effort to contact the
SENSIBLE
police for area crime information, both
ZONE for your domestic locality and your
PARANOIA
ZONE office environs. You ideally want to
know
PRECAUTIONS
TAKEN Statistics and a comparison with
elsewhere.
Security Measures Volume and trends.
The second principle concerns both Types of crime (against property or
resources and attitude. Resources people).
may be improved security at home -
locks, alarms, lighting, viewers, CCTV The following was taken from the
etc or it may be what you invest in time Judith Weiss home page on the
and money on, say, self defence Internet:-
lessons. On a more subjective front the All activity - driving a car, filling a bath
principle also refers to ones attitude to tub, walking through a parking lot at
such things as crime and how we react night - entail some risk. We are all
and respond. If we lock ourselves have different attitudes toward risk . At
indoors and become too frightened one end of the scale is refusing to
to go anywhere after reading the engage in an activity by exaggerating
newspapers on the increasing levels of the risk involved. At the other end is
crime, we have gone too far. If we take engaging in very risky activities while
every journey on the basis that we will refusing to take precautions. Neither of
be attacked, we will put ourselves these attitudes are useful for living an
under unnecessary stress and empowered life. What is useful is to
paranoia will set in. So what we do accurately assess the risks involved,
and how we approach the problem take whatever precautions make
mentally, must be in balance with the sense and live as fully as possible.
risks we perceive as possible. This The above quote very succinctly draws
means in some way we need to together much of what this book is
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all about. It encapsulates many of single other issue with regard to self
the tenets and principles of good, protection goes out of the window. If
personal security, not least we draw on the experiences of the
that security measures must be Bodyguard industry you can see
commensurate with the threat. We over numerous incidents where
are at risk from conception to grave so kidnappings and assassinations have
we must acknowledge it, accept it and occurred, that the success of the
deal with it, but in a balanced way. attack was singularly down to
achieving the element of surprise. In
other words all the pre-attack
surveillance, which may have gone on
for weeks prior to the attack, the
rehearsal and, on the day, the actual
ambush setup all went unnoticed by
the protective detail, usually resulting
in their deaths.
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world around us. Portraying a positive risks, but are unavoidable parts of life.
appearance can go a long way in you There are risk reduction techniques
not being selected as a target. that enumerate things (actions that
decrease or increase risks). Walking
The above quote was taken off an with an umbrella, child or dog
internet site and succinctly sums up decreases risk of attack. Pairs or more
where the main effort needs to go are less likely to be attacked than
in our attempts to lead safer lives - solitary persons. Remember to look
ourselves. Another reference form the around you. PEOPLE WHO LOOK
Internet was from the Metro Nashville LIKE GOOD VICTIMS ARE GOOD
Police Department:- VICTIMS.
Self protection is more than learning a We are told that victims encourage
few simple yells and carrying spray to crime! Some people may want to
ward off attackers. It is a habit of mind. refute that, unfortunately I believe it to
Self protection is the way you think, be a truism. Target selection, which
dress, and walk. You have a traffic light villains carry out on our vehicles,
in your head that tells you stuff all the houses, businesses and us, is based
time. When something doesnt seem on the level to which we will contribute
right about a guy, listen to that yellow to our own attractiveness and that
light in your head. Self protection is a solely pertains to how easy we will
study of options - whether to reduce make it for them.
risks, run, talk, or fight.
Realise what your risks are by using Criminals like things easy - better an
Risk Reduction Techniques. You easy 100 than a risky 1,000. We
have probably thwarted attacks in the may make it easy for them because
past and just didnt realise it. Many when we leave the house, we leave a
robberies and assaults are unsuccess- convenient rear window open or when
ful. You are most likely to be attacked we walk down the street we expose
during TRANSITIONS, where you are the gold Rolex, whilst at the same time
going from one place to another. talk on the mobile phone.
Transitions occur when you go from
your car to work, from work to your To any watching villain he knows he
home, walking to the parking lot, taking can get a watch and a phone off
the trash out, or jogging down the someone who is oblivious to his
road. Transitions may increase you surroundings. When a terrorist bomb is
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the theory that the rapist probably Chapter 3 gives us an overview of the
stalked his victim from behind the reality and perceptions of crime and its
fence alongside the Chislehurst cricket consequences, but knowing it gives
ground. He is thought to have attacked very little advantage or ammunition in
her through a gap in the fence, hitting our mental processes we engage in
her first on the back of the head with a the decision making over whether we
blunt instrument and when she turned will do anything to alter the current
round pummelling her to the ground. A status quo. Knowing that we will only
metallic bar, probably a knife was face the possibility of being attacked
placed in her mouth to stop her in the street once every 100 years,
screaming and she was raped behind somehow should give us little comfort
the hedge. because we intuitively know that it
may be tomorrow when it happens,
She suffered broken cheek bones, even if it may then take another 100
severe facial injuries, bruises and cuts years before it happens again. We also
in the assault, described by the police intuitively know this about the statistics
as particularly savage. that it is once in 100 years, as an
average, not once every 100 years
As reported in the Daily Telegraph which means it may happen three
21/12/96. times this week and never happen
This is the reality of how many attacks again.
occur and yet we have such books as We know that the statistics are an
I have described elsewhere showing a average of the best and the worst
woman block an attack from someone scenarios and the conclusion gives a
swinging a house brick and standing in bland middle of the road picture which
front of her in a Karate stance. It means absolutely nothing when facing
makes my blood boil! the reality of risk of being attacked. Yet
there are many people who use
Personal Security is a combination of statistics to take the fear out of living
- fine so long as it doesnt remove the
the following;
stark reality out of living !
Responsibility
Precautions Statistics are useful, but not to
Awareness and Expectation provide cover and concealment
The above is another way of from reality.
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3. That a simple list of dos and don'ts will carry out the plan. If you were to
means that the individual, if he follows study kidnap & ransom attempts by
them has no further role in the international terrorists and organised
process! crime groups, one very glaring fact
would emerge. This is that the
From my experience, all 3 couldnt be protective detail (the bodyguards) in
further from the truth. The group in nearly every case die and die first.
question was highly intelligent, young, This is not just a consequence of lack
reasonably fit, but had, not to put too of combative skills, but simply as a
fine a point on it, not a clue and were consequence of being unable in those
walking victims. Their attacks were circumstances to practise those skills -
victim operated. in other words they were taken by
surprise. The majority of Police,
The common sense drill at the Military and even civilian Close
kerbside of look right, left and right Protection teams can shoot, fight and
again only has any relevance to have been taught highly skilled anti-
safety if a person is conscious and ambush skills.
aware enough to remember to stop at
the kerb in the first place - many The reality though is that they never
arent, but are preoccupied, or as we got a chance to do any of it. They are
say in a dream. For 99% of people simply taken by surprise and the
99% of the time, this is the mental shock, surprise and ensuing confusion
state which predominates. Using the and dislocation with the unfolding
same analogy the cross code is events results in the classic freeze.
preventative, its how we teach Cars run into each other, panic
children not to get knocked down overcomes even trained responses
rather than teach them how to survive and in seconds its over before they
impact with cars. Just concentrating on can even understand theyre in it!.
the physical aspects of self defence as So what Fails?
many instructors do, is like the latter,
just dealing with the impact. Daily Routine
All trained Bodyguards know that most
There is a presumption by most assassination and every kidnap
people, the above group being a attempt is preceded by long periods of
classic example, that knowing what detailed surveillance, where the
not to do actually means that they opposition use a wide variety of
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Now, many years later I, probably like - wrong. It is often simply a case of the
millions of others, drive on auto-pilot, wrong place - wrong time, nothing that
with no concentration given to the we have done wrong or right. This I
mechanical movements we perform will put in the correct context later.
and no direct concentration given to
hazard avoidance and just half or less One other aspect that we must
of our mental effort is given to the task constantly bear in mind is this: that
of evaluating whats going on around the time we feel most safe, we are
us. We are able to talk, both on the most at risk. I will keep coming back
phone as well as to a companion in the to that thought throughout the various
car, listen to thought provoking chapters.
subjects on the radio, drink, eat and
smoke, probably all at the same time
and still manage to negotiate the
vehicle even for hundreds of miles.
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C H A P T E R T W O
Awareness Training
A
Cornerstone Of Good processes all day long. You are busy.
Personal Security! It Your mind is busy. You are preoccupied
may be the corner- and are often concentrating on
stone, but unfortu- thoughts and problems which call for
nately, it is the part of your attention to be focussed inwards
the overall structure which is seldom towards these internal workings. Every
in place. I can teach someone to so often we surface and take note
punch with enough impact to put a of our surroundings, then submerge
twenty stone man down with one shot ourselves again with our ponderings.
to the body and I could teach it in a This happens both when we are driving
couple of hours. However, to reach a and on foot.
state where Ive been able to make
awareness a natural part of someone's On Autopilot!
psychological make up could take two When Im teaching Executives about
weeks. The problem is the punch may personal security techniques, I get
only be needed once every five years, them to tell me what information they
the awareness is needed every waking process when they are walking through
second. a busy street. They admit that they do
take information in, but when they have
Therein lies the problem - awareness actually thought about it for a while they
competes every waking moment for admit that all they process is sufficient
some space in the conscious and information to allow themselves not to
sub-conscious mind, whilst at the same bump into anyone. Broadly the same
time your brain is involved with all the happens when we are driving. We are
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able to drive without any concentration shock and surprise and your ability to
being given over to the mechanics of regain control of the situation will be
driving- what we do now is automatic impossible if an attack takes place, due
and takes no concentration, unlike to the onset of the Freeze syndrome.
how it used to be when we first
learned to drive, where every action, Awareness is a situational thing. By
in parallel with another, took so that I mean if tomorrow I dropped you
much concentration that, as mentioned into the back streets of Manila, or the
earlier, we broke out into a sweat. Now jungle of Borneo you would be
many years on we can drive, eat a switched on and switched on for 24
sandwich, drink a coke, listen to the hours - you wouldnt even want to go
radio and also worry away at the to sleep. You switch on because they
problems of the day - all without are bad places to be and, whats more,
managing to run into anything - well it is obvious that they are, so you do
sometimes. not let your guard down. Put yourself
back in the real world and you believe,
Its the same when we walk down the incorrectly that it is benign and
street. We have done it many times, so non-threatening. WRONG - read the
we dont need to concentrate on the liturgy of crime throughout this book
route. It may be a sunny day, alls well to know that even the most peaceful
with the world and we are able to reach location in the world can be shattered
our destination, both without bumping by the most heinous crime. No one and
into anyone and at the same time nowhere is safe from the effects of
having been thinking about a range villainy in all its forms and we make
of subjects, be they social, personal or the situation worse by creating the
business. We are ignorant of our conditions which are ideal for them to
surroundings and who might be in ply their trade.
them. We are ignorant to the subtle
changes in our environment and we Think about awareness as 2 aspects:-
have no part of our brain which is given
over to the task of keeping a watching 1. Situational Awareness
brief on what is going on around us. i.e. surroundings for both threats, dark
alleys, wooded areas, hiding places,
Essentially you are walking around with and for the positives such as escape
victim stamped on your forehead. You routes, populated areas, good parking
will be susceptible to the application of spots, better lit areas, police stations.
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and pedestrians being knocked down The various encounters were filmed
happen far too frequently. Most can be and the camera position was above
attributed to being switched off . Call looking down onto the street and
it jaywalking, or careless driving, it covertly from street level close to the
boils down to the very simple fact that person who was part of the experiment
people are usually WIDE ASLEEP! on the street. What took place was
that a member of the team stopped
Recognition is what we actually at random different people and asked
process as important from what little them for directions, whilst holding
data we allow in. We have internal a piece of paper in his hand. As he
priorities so that we dont overload the engaged the person in conversation
system and what we end up ignoring two other men carrying a large
is are the very subtle references which rectangular piece of board walked
are important to our safety. between the two people and with a
very well practised changeover the
The over-long, side glance from two rear man who was carrying the board,
youths who pass us in the street. The exchanged places with the man who
person who shows an undue interest, had asked for directions and then
the van which is parked alongside our carried on the conversation with the
vehicle, the poor quality of the street person who had been stopped. The
lighting all of a sudden, alleyways, person who had first asked for
bushes etc. directions walked off carrying the
board at the rear.
An Experiment
Whilst I was in the process of writing There was absolutely no suspicion by
this book I watched a programme on anyone who had been stopped and
TV which was about our brains asked for help, that they were no
interpretation of what our eyes see. longer talking to the person who had
One fascinating experiment confirmed stopped them, even though the new
everything I have written about in person was dressed differently. Even
this chapter. The experiment was when they were asked what they
conducted by a University and it was thought about the people carrying the
designed to test peoples selectivity board the only comment was that they
of information concerning other people had thought it rude for the two men to
who were within an individuals have barged between them. When
environment. they were told that it was no longer the
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same person they were astonished problem and that is that you are about
to say the least. The experiment to be attacked. However you are still
confirmed the proposition that peoples not warned to the fact because, when
recognition of others, amounts solely one of them engages you with a
to a geographical reference as to question it is like you have seen them
where they are on the street, but not for the first time. Something is only
who they are or what they look like, in important when it is repeated. This a
other words they LOOK, but dont basic Anti-Surveillance principle.
SEE. To most of us a person is a Seeing a vehicle or a person once
broad shape in a certain position. cannot in itself be suspicious, but
seeing it again is. However if you
Information Overload didnt register the presence of the car
If I were to walk you down a country or person in the first place there is
lane and walking toward you were never a Repeat which arouses your
two people and they were the first two suspicion.
people you had seen for over an hour
and if I then asked you ten minutes We need to register people, vehicles
after they had passed what each and our environment, because it is the
person had been wearing you could changes in our environment which we
have provided a pretty good descrip- need to perceive so as to be able to
tion. If those same two people passed raise our Awareness. Our goal is to
within inches of you in the city and I avoid Risk or Threat, whichever you
asked you about them only one minute prefer to use. When training people in
later you would say what two people? this I use the Threat Pyramid. It helps
It isnt that you havent looked at them, people to understand the relationships
because not to look at them would between certain areas which are:-
mean you are walking with your eyes
closed, it is simply that you havent let
THREAT AVOIDANCE
the information be processed - you
have looked but not seen!- simply due THREAT EVALUATION
to the excess of information available
THREAT AWARENESS
i.e so many people.
Threat Avoidance
Herein lies the danger, because if
This is the Flight or Fight part of the
those two people appeared alongside
Threat Pyramid and sits on the top
you or in front of you again you have a
of the other two, supporting parts.
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part of the Threat Pyramid and that What awareness does is to buy time
is the Threat Awareness. It is very for you to remain in control and take
simple when you think about it, in that the necessary steps to alter course, or
to escape a potential threat you must be prepared to fight, but not to be
first have had to have come to a taken by surprise. Surprise is the
decision that the person is a threat, main weapon in the armoury of the
villains you may encounter. They
require you to be shocked and stunned
with the way events happen - the
surprise, speed, swearing and
shouting, demands and threats of
violence are all designed to keep you
off balance and compliant.
Forewarned is Forearmed - There is
no shock if you have seen events
unfold in sufficient time to get to grips
with it.
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I use it all over the world in some statistics are nothing to do with life
reasonably threatening environments. and life never seems to have read the
They are a visual stimulus which statistics. Dont just believe that the
general public are
guilty of this,
as even police
officers are caught
unawares and
taken by surprise.
They can have
violence erupt in
front of them in the
most unexpected
places, as evi-
denced by the
injuries they suffer
whilst on duty.
This is the result! In a second or two it may be a question of Fight or They, like us,
Flight.
are walking the
allows you to move smoothly from one familiar, peaceful streets on a sunny,
area of the pyramid to another, but to Saturday afternoon, with their thoughts
understand how, we first need to look elsewhere only to find themselves
at what each condition represents. fighting for their lives in the next ten
Condition White - relates to being minutes. So condition white happens
switched off. In other words it is below the pyramid, unlike the next
where 99% of people spend 99% of colour state.
their time. This is the victim state and
in this condition a person has no Condition Yellow - This is the state
awareness and navigates down the we should be in 100% of the time. It is
street or road, looking, but not seeing the equivalent of turning the radar on!
and taking no information in. People in This is your scanning and seeing
this condition have no time to recover state. You are switched on and alert to
from the surprise when an attack your surroundings, having good
takes place. Later we will look at some situational awareness. In this state
statistics to do with violence, but you could describe people and
remember that even favourable vehicles which passed you some min-
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utes ago. This is the alert state where surprise has gone. If he now appears
you play the game of people watching again you will have recognition and be
and if we related it to the field of very suspicious. Should that happen
Close Protection what you are doing is then your colour state would change.
practising your anti-surveillance drills.
Condition Orange - Any change in
You will look and see people and try to your environment produces a change
pigeon hole them, even if you have to in the colour code. Condition orange
make a game of it i.e. solicitor, mid relates on the pyramid to Threat
40s, not married, having a bad day! - Evaluation. Seeing that person a
villain, late 20s, housebreaker, twice in second time, if he was someone you
jail, single, left handed. If you were to didnt like the look of the first time,
stop and ask them you probably find means you must evaluate and make a
you were perfectly accurate just that decision. This is
you had the two people the wrong way what being switched
round. Dont laugh it happens to the on buys you - time to
best. Three armed, but plainclothes stay in control.
policeman in a car stopped a vehicle
with, as they thought, three suspicious Traffic Lights
people on board and ordered them out What happens each
at gunpoint. It turned out that the three time you move
they stopped were also plainclothes colour states is to
policeman. visualise the new
The spin off from being in a permanent colour. When I first
alert state is that you send out the adopted the colour
signal that you are. This happens code I found it
because to see people properly you impossible to visualise the colour
must look at them, however fleetingly states as I had no internal field of view
and it means to them you have where I could place them. Eventually in
acknowledged their presence. Dont one of those flashes of inspiration it
forget the most switched on person in came to me and that was the traffic
any street is a villain - one because lights. What I do is to have my three
hes on the look out for opportunities lights, but instead of having the
and two hes looking for the police. He traditional green, amber, red, I work
knows when hes been seen and once up from yellow, orange and red. I find
that has happened his opportunity for it not too difficult to keep the visualisa-
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tion of a traffic light signal, but it would but it goes something like heels and
be impossible to do it all the time. It dust - Flight not Fight!
isnt necessary to keep the image
there all the time just when a So the colour conditions do two things
situation changes. What is essential is One they can act as situational
to keep the awareness at work all the warnings, when our environment is
time. So what we need is some about to change for the worse. This
system for being permanently aware, may be simply turning off the main
without paranoia and to use the colour drag into some quieter, less well lit.
codes to signal changes. less well populated part of the city,
because we know that this is now
So if I am walking around Moscow where we are likely to be mugged, not
and Im on one of the busy main on the main drag. Second the codes
thoroughfares I am very aware, but in act as an action trigger and this is
condition yellow. If though it is when you have condition Red. As the
necessary for me to have to use one light turns Red in your head its action
of the underpasses to cross the road not thought which should have the
as I prepare to go down the steps the ascendancy. The thinking happened
mental traffic light appears and it in Orange, its now reactive, whereas
goes to Orange. This acts just like the the other states were all proactive.
colour code alert state for workers in The best place to be when a
government buildings. They dont carry crisis occurs is nowhere near it.
a colour coded alert card in front of
their nose all day long, seeing it once The Problem Not Solved
in the morning by the lift triggered their I hope you are clear on the above
minds for the day and so it is with the and whilst it may sound complex with
way we should use the system. pyramids and strange coloured traffic
lights it is the best way I have found of
As Im walking in the underpass I now managing my immediate environment.
see four men with obvious ill intent and Despite all that, however, I still havent
the lights appear in my minds eye and answered the very basic and essential
turn to:- problem of how you stay alert. Dont
Condition Red - My choice is now forget none of the top two parts of the
very simple - turn and get out or get pyramid, nor conditions Orange and
ready for problems. Not to keep you Red, will work if you are not aware or
guessing for too long what I would do, switched on, but remember what I said
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at the beginning of this chapter about Everyone knows what attention is. It
how being aware has to compete for is taking possession of the mind, in
space in the conscious mind with clear and vivid form, of one, out of
thousands of other thoughts and what seems several, simultaneously
preoccupations. Add to this the fact possible objects or trains of thought.
that you have walked this same street Focalisation, concentration or con-
every day for ten years or driven this sciousness are its essence. It implies
route every day for twenty years and withdrawal from some things in order
you are probably in white minus! to deal effectively with others and is a
condition which has a real opposite in
So the Threat Pyramid is a matrix for the confused, dazed, scatterbrained
having a broad plan for risk reduction, state which in French is called distrac-
in that it clearly illustrates how to get to tion and zerstreutheit in German.
avoidance things must progress in Link the above with what we have
sequence. The colour codes extend talked about so far.
that basic idea, so as to give us
a visual reference when situational People like Linford Christie have
factors change. The visualisation of described attentional control as the
the traffic lights, should now condition single most important factor in top
the way we think and act. But, I have to class sports performance. But, can a
say it again, these two aids whilst very study of the subject have relevance in
good concepts are not what helps you the field of personal security. I believe
stay Aware and Alert. very much that it can.
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Play The Game and Not The try to determine where you fall in this
Occasion four way spread.
Exercises which will help concentra-
tion or assist in blocking Attentional Distracters
negative emotions are all part and One test for attentional control, or a
parcel of the control of attention and training tip is to try and identify
the job in hand which may be to attentional distracters. Divide a piece
knock unconscious
the person in front
of you who is about
to strike. It takes
tremendous control
to exclude all the
negative elements
which surround the
enormity of pre-
emptive strikes and
the old soccer cliche
- that it is essential
to play the game
and not the This shouldnt happen if your personal radar is working to a reasonable
distance through a complete 360 degrees.
occasion! is very
sound advice. You cannot let the of paper into two equal columns and
enormity of whats happening to you on one side put a heading Relevant
disable you from action and make you Details and on the other Distracters.
lose the initiative. In this chapter we List all the relevant details on one side
are more concerned how better that you know you need to concentrate
attentional control will help us avoid on e.g. Target/Risk Identification -
confrontations and that is going to be people, places, purpose, looks like,
achieved by each of us better etc and on the other side put down the
understanding our own character distracters e.g. crowd, noise, weather
make up when it comes to which (rain makes us put our heads down),
attentional style we are predisposed traffic, social/business thoughts,
to. Some of us are very aware to the worries, etc. This should make you
Width of our environment whereas clearly aware of what distracts you
others are patently not and you should from the task in hand.
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this part on how to stay aware that the They stop because they are
same objection will come up. This is programmed to stop and what
that to constantly be thinking about we must do is put some more
threats is an act of paranoia. They are programming into the system. For
quite correct, in that if you tried, to the programming, substitute habit forming.
exclusion of every other thought, to Some years ago I did a security driving
simply devote your conscious brain to course and those of you who have
look for threats, you would soon either attended such a course or done
mentally tire of the process and stop an advanced driving course will be
doing it. If you remember, I said at the familiar with what happens. One of the
beginning that we cannot tackle the instructional methods employed is
problem from the aspect of our what is known as Commentary
conscious mind. It has too much else Driving.
to do and too many other thoughts
intrude. Commentary Work
What happens is that every time
Also it isnt necessary, because we you get behind the wheel, under
have a standby system that we can instruction, you have to give a
employ and that is our sub-conscious. running commentary out loud about
What we need to have, in computer everything that is happening in your
speak, is the ability to multi-task. In surroundings. It is systematic and
other words we need to in some way takes in a full 360 degrees, both
dedicate only part of our cognitive outside and inside the vehicle. You will
process to be permanently aware and describe other traffic ahead, behind
alert to our environment, but not so and approaching from side roads, the
that we have to consciously think road state, what pedestrians are doing,
about the problem. With the executives what your speed is and what you
I train I ask them whether they never intend to do i.e. gear change and why,
stop at a kerbside and blindly walk speed and why and where you are
across or, do they stop and apply looking. You will be forced to have to
some system to check for danger. I read ahead as distinct from just
then get them to attest to the fact that looking 3 feet past the end of the
this is not paranoia, but preventative. bonnet and you are forced to have to
As children we were rightly taught to assimilate all the data that is pertinent
avoid being knocked down not learn to your vehicles safety, whilst talking
how to roll off bonnets without injury. about it. We read ahead even to the
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extent that we are trying to see around correctly think about things which
the next bend. There is a story that were not relevant to the task in hand.
Jim Shortt recounts in his book on Self Without the commentary, you could
Defence about Wellington which give the impression of alertness,
makes this point well. but your mind is elsewhere. With
commentary driving you cannot talk
The Duke Of Wellington, during long and think at the same time. All
rural rides used to challenge his other ancillary, superfluous thoughts are
officers to a game of guessing what excluded in favour of the commentary.
the landscape would look like on the
other side of the next hill. He won more The third thing is, that by doing the
often than not, at a game he was commentary work persistently over a
inordinately good at. When he was period, every time you get behind the
asked how he was able to judge with wheel something happens and that is
such accuracy he would reply - Why I that you are making the process habit
have spent all my life trying to guess forming - what we do repetitively, for
what is over the other side of the hill. enough times over a period will simply
He was switched on to deduce what it become habitual when you get behind
might look like from experience and a wheel to drive afterwards even
signs and trying to see beyond the though you dont commentate, in fact
visible, which was of advantage to his you do, but it happens at a subliminal,
military strategy. sub-conscious level, because it has
now become a habit.
With the commentary driving a number THIS IS THE KEY TO PERMANENT
of things happen. Firstly you are made AWARENESS.
to realise how much data you would
normally miss and how easily you What happens is that you have
could find yourself in difficulties had created mental multi-tasking in that
you not had the opportunity to see a you can now function on a conscious
situation develop early enough. The level e.g. hold conversations with
most important one for me though was people, but underneath your radar is at
the fact I realised that the principal work, giving you a full 360 degrees all
benefit was that whilst you are the time. The habit of awareness has
having to give the running commentary been formed and you never lose it.
you cannot do something else and This is how you stay in Condition
that something was THINK or more Yellow so that changes are noticed,
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people evaluated and filed away, the the other hand reads - wary, informed,
result being you are no longer Wide conscious. When I use the word
Asleep. aware I mean it to be a compilation of
the whole of the meanings given for
Applied Elsewhere the two words. Every description used
If the practise works for driving it will above is so relevant to our safety.
work for the other parts of our lives
where risk from others is associated The word expectancy cropped up in
e.g. the street, work, home, or during the meaning of alert and as we know
transitions i.e. from one to the other. expectancy is that state we are in
In Chapter 7 on Mobile Security I have when we expect something to happen.
expanded on commentary work for In summer of 1997 a young Detective
its original role in driver alertness, but Constable, posing as a businessman
you should also do it wherever you was knifed by a man suspected of
are. Essentially it is a way of detaching being part of a gang preying on Rolex
yourself from your body and watching watch wearers in central London. DC
what you are doing from a distance - Shaid Ali, 31 was attacked when he
Be an Observer of Your Own approached a man thought to be
Actions - If you can do this you will acting suspiciously. After the attack the
expand your view of your environment assailant jumped into a Mercedes. DC
and take more data in. The threats are Ali suffered minor injuries. The attack
out there, most people just do not see has been linked to a series of similar
them, even when they look straight at incidents across the capital involving
them. so called Rolex raiders.
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Expectation is coming to terms with The cry really was about inadequate
the fact that violence can and will training. There is a greater need to
happen and that it is likely to be at the train officers how to ASSESS correctly
most unexpected time and place. a potential situation. In the past
Expectation is raising your Alert State personal safety training for police
when you reach your house or car. officers in the UK has meant teaching
Expectation is switching on when you officers techniques of Restraining
enter toilets or the lift at work. No prisoners and Defending themselves
attack will be a surprise to me. I may against attack. They are now being
not like it and it may frighten me to the taught such things as not to dismiss
core, but it will not come as any a passive, compliant individual as
surprise, wherever I happen to be. If it non-threatening.
does, I know that I am very likely to
lose the day. Expectation is knowing Only 2 categories of risk --
that when you feel most secure you HIGH RISK & UNKNOWN RISK .
are most at risk. It is a trite statement,
but it is also a truism. The reason you Unless you are psychic or can read his
are at risk is because when you feel mind there is no such thing as LOW
secure you switch off and go into RISK. The threat a person presents
condition white. When you are in this increases as the person gets closer to
state, probably because you feel
secure in familiar surroundings the
shock and surprise is worse, resulting
in a substantially longer recovery time,
if at all.
- The point was made that they you. NB 100 yards in 15 seconds
have to make time! would be too slow for the school team,
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A W A R E N E S S T R A I N I N G
but that same person still covers 10 It is human nature not to dwell on the
yards in 1.5 seconds. negative. To be constantly thinking
each day you leave the house, you
An attack out of the blue! may not return, have a car crash, be
Two police officers were cut when attacked, fall ill, your business go bust
approaching a car with 2 suspects in. would soon send you to the nut house.
The attack came out of the blue - we In a balanced way though we must all
felt powerless and very vulnerable. try to develop some way of raising our
Neither officer thought to handcuff the reality level if I can call it that. Reality
suspects because they seemed
calm and passive at first. The point
here is that if two experienced offi-
cers who are actually approaching
suspects with, one would assume,
a degree of awareness, can be
taken by surprise then the answer
lies not simply in awareness, but
expectation.
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A W A R E N E S S T R A I N I N G
courage to go, the world would be deny a serious situation. The trained,
smoking ashes. switched on civilian and professional
operator must always move out of this
Fireman cope because they have one Denial Phase as quickly as possible
underlying thought process to which and thus deal with the real situation. If
they have had to come to terms with - you have subconsciously come to
EXPECTATION. What they expect terms wit the fact that anything can
during the day is for the bell to go off happen to you on a daily basis then the
and everything else is a filler. shock when it does should be over
Policeman should, but many I submit with sooner.
dont work hard at the mental process
of inculcating expectation. It is evident Be aware Situationally and about
in the nature of police injuries that this People. Use a colour code system to
is the case, when we contrast the raise further your awareness and
many, but generally minor injuries expectation levels and maintain a
policemen suffer in public order very healthy suspicion of others.
disputes as against the few, but
serious injuries where the violence
has been gratuitous and often -
unexpected!! So if policemen, whose
very job inherently contains opportuni-
ties on a daily basis for conflict and
violence can be caught unawares, it is
even worse for the average man and
woman. This is the cause of the shock,
surprise and the classic freeze.
The Denial
This is the resultant effect that
manifests itself under stressful and
dangerous situations - I cannot
believe this is happening to me. This
is thought to be a severe stress related
factor as opposed to the result of a
chemical action. The majority of
untrained people will always try to
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C H A P T E R T H R E E
I
exists wherever the future is occurring and what comfort, if any,
uncertain. To help us have a should we take from the conclusions.
slightly more certain view of the
future we must have some data In England and Wales we benefit, if that
about the past, such as crime can be the word, from two bodies of
statistics. Risk has been defined as: statistics; crimes recorded by the police
the variation in the possible out- and the results of the biennial British
comes that exist in nature in a given Crime Survey. It is quite startling to
situation. When the risk is small compare the two figures.
ones ability to predict the future is
high. When the risk is great, ones The British Crime Survey in 1993
ability to predict the future is low. estimated a total of 18 million crimes
against individuals and their property,
Few of us will ever become victims of of which 2.7 million were serious
crime, but the fear of it happening is offences (wounding, robbery and
often, for many people, out of propor- burglary). This contrasts quite sharply
tion with the possibility. In very broad with 5 million crimes reported to the
summary we know that the most at police in 1994, a figure which has
risk category in terms of assault in the doubled, by the way, since 1980.
UK are men, under 30 and in situations Interestingly since 1918 the increase in
where drink has had an influence. In recorded crime has been extremely
terms of rape and domestic violence consistent at about 5% per year.
women are more at risk from someone
they know. But what are the risks, the
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The number of crimes recorded has About two thirds of violent crimes were
risen from around 1 per 100 population minor wounding.
in the 1950s to 5 per 100 population in
the 1970s and to 10 per 100 popula- In 1995 homicides fell to 690 in
tion in 1994. 93% of recorded crimes England and Wales, being divided as
are against property, with 6% being vio- follows 474 male and 225 female.
lent or sexual offences. There is a trend
to report more crime to the police which Male deaths were caused as follows:-
accounts for the increase in recorded Sharp Instrument 41%
crime between 1981 and 1993 of 111%, Blunt Instrument 11%
the actual rise in crime was less at Hitting, kicking etc 20%
77%. If you extrapolate the British Strangulation 5%
Crime Survey statistics of 18 million Shooting 12%
estimated crimes against a population Burning 4%
of 51.4 million, it equates to nearly 30 Other 7%
per 100 population, a truly horrendous
figure. Female deaths were caused as
follows:-
In England and Wales in 1995 there Sharp Instrument 26%
were some 7,198 prosecutions for Blunt Instrument 14%
wounding or inflicting grievous bodily Hitting, Kicking etc 8%
harm (Offence against the Person Act Strangulation 26%
1861 sect 20.), 34,872 prosecutions Shooting 5%
for Assault occasioning actual bodily Burning 9%
harm (Common Law and Offence Other 12%
against the Persons Act 1861 sect. 47)
and 30,730 prosecutions for Common When you put these figures besides
assault under a variety of statutory the self defence training requirements
Acts, e.g. Criminal Justice Act 1988 of the two groups you can quite clearly
sect 38, 78. etc. see the very distinct needs that they
have. Males quite clearly need to be
Homicides in 1993 amounted to 730, more capable to defend against blows
with the vast majority of sexual with females requiring defensive tactics
offences being indecent assaults on a which predominantly help in terms of
female (17,680) including rapes strangulation. In Chapter 13 I have
(5,080). looked at the different approach which
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Less than 1% of all reported offences Probably the main problem of fear of
are of a sexual nature. Women are attack is publicity. It has a positive side
most likely to be raped or sexually as it makes women more aware and
assaulted indoors. Probably in a vigilant, but it is also sensationalised
situation they felt most safe by the media and individual reported
incidents can be taken as the norm not
In England and Wales the level of the exception. Recreations on TV can
reported rape offences shows an also create a higher level of fear.
average of one for every 10000 of the
female population. The fear of attack has been known to
Roger Kennington, Vice Chairman of have the following effects on some
the National Association for the women:-
Development of Work with Sex Fear of the dark.
Offenders, says rapists usually fit into Fear of going outdoors in the dark.
one of four categories Depression.
Vindictive - the rape is a punishment. Reduced social activity.
The victim represents someone who Feeling weak and vulnerable.
has slighted the rapist. Loss of confidence.
Anger - the rape is a release for Sleeplessness.
pent-up anger - an unplanned oppor- Loss of trust in others.
tunistic way of venting rage. Nightmares.
Sex - the rape is mainly motivated by Terror.
sexual desire - some rapists believe
they have the right to sex at any time
with whoever they please. British Home Office figures show some
Sadism - when the rapists main 5.7 million offences recorded in
means of sexual gratification comes England and Wales in 1993, up 3.8 %.
only with extreme violence. Recorded crime fell in some areas
According to the Home Office statistics e.g. Cleveland, Gloucestershire, City
in 1994, 5,057 rapes were reported of London, Merseyside, the MET,
and only 460 rapists convicted. A study Northumberland, Dyfed/Powys.
by the University of North London 94% of recorded offences involved
shows only 20 per cent of reported property, 5% were violent crimes.
rape cases are referred to the courts. Violent crimes increased by 4%,
Women Against Rape estimates only including 2% increase in violence
8 percent of victims report the crime. against the person.
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A 14% rise in robberies and a slight and ensure logos are on uniforms,
fall in reported sexual offences. vans, IDs
Some other statistics were interesting:
Risk of burglary is high for inner city By Comparison:
residents, those with poorer security, Police Assaults
flat dwellers, single adults and In Chapter 13 The Physical Encounter,
those who often leave their house we will look at some statistics as to the
unoccupied. nature of police injuries, but it is a
The most common items taken in sobering experience to look at the
burglaries were cash, jewellry, videos, sheer numbers of assaults that take
stereos and TVs. place on police officers in the UK.
About 1/5th of violent incidents are From 1993 the number of assaults has
street assaults and about 1/5th fallen from 17,950 to 15,488 in 1995.
assaults are in pubs and clubs. 8 out of If we break down the figures for 1995
10 victims in each case were men and a little further they show that 2,605 of
mostly young. It has been the pattern the total were female officers. Whilst
for some years that adolescent males the overall figure for assaults had
are the sector of society most at risk fallen attacks on female officers had
from violence. risen and serious injuries in total had
The elderly were infrequent victims of also risen from 886 in 93 to 901 in 95.
violence and women were consistently In 1995 the assaults leading to sick
less at risk than men of all types of leave amounted to 2,480 with some
violence except domestic assaults and 41,144 total working days lost to
muggings. assault.
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Traffic stops is the third most likely and head butts. The report actually
cause of assaults - 17% followed by went further and looked at the nature
stops on foot patrol. However, 14% of how assaults happened.
of attacks occurred either in a police One third of assaults occur before
van or on police premises. Assaults officers have a chance to speak to the
occurred also when officers were assailant. The solution in the report
working in pairs or teams. The excep- said improved self defence training
tion to this is the foot stop where over and the issue of protective equipment
half the officers attacked were on their such as stab vests and pepper sprays
own. These were more likely to would help.
produce serious injury with 30% of 22% of assaults occur as officers try
officers suffering GBH wounds. to calm individuals, particularly during
disputes and public order situations.
Public order assaults could result from (The recommendation was better
the slightest provocation when conflict management training as the
officers attempted to assert control of officer had been able to speak to the
situations, but serious injuries were individual and could possibly have
recorded in only 10% of public order diffused it).
cases, probably because officers were One quarter of assaults are
expecting trouble and were better sustained at the point of arrest or after
prepared for it. An interesting point a suspect had been detained.
about vehicle stops was that the The report says that:-
assaults occurred when the vehicle When dealing with public order and
was stolen or the driver drunk, but that disputes officers will be attacked when
the attack was most likely to come trying to calm things down.
from the passenger! than from the Public order and dispute situations
driver. can mean officers will be attacked
immediately they arrive on the scene.
Whilst attacks for no apparent reason When carrying out foot stops
are rare - 4%- more than half lead to assaults happen most frequently as
serious injury. 78% of assaults occur officers are preventing the suspect
during uniformed patrol, 60% taking fleeing the scene.
place in the street and 65% resulting in
cuts and bruises (ABH), whilst 17% The Daily Telegraph January 1996 -
caused GBH level injuries. Most police Police Assaulted
injuries are the result of punches, kicks Reported on how two West Midlands
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The biggest crime reduction was in misleads the police any compensation
crime involving knives, including a fall would usually be rejected.
on attempted murders of 50%, of It is not necessary for an offender to
robberies by over 36% and of serious be convicted before an award is made
assault by 30%. (some offenders may never be found).
Obtain photos of injuries.
We should also mention the UKs Applicants should apply for a CICS
Criminal Injuries Compensation app, from CICB, Blythswood House,
Board (CICB). The statistics make 260, West Regent Street, Glasgow
depressing reading if used as an G2 4SW.
example of the consistent rise in crime
in the UK. Formed in 1964 under the Fear Of Crime
supervision of the Home Office, in 1987 statistics whilst somewhat out of
92-93 it received 65,977 applications date still serve to illustrate the long
for compensation - an increase of odds of of serious violence occurring
4,577 over the previous year. to us:-
Total compensation paid out was Rape 10,000 to 1
152,201,131 a record and an Indecent Assault 800 to 1
increase of 8.55 million on the Robbery 2,000 to 1
previous year. Assault 170 to 1
Total compensation paid since Burglary 38 to 1
inception is some 1,000,000,000. Car Crime 17 to 1
Approx 48% of applications are
resolved in one year. In a study carried out by researchers
Official stats clearly show that over the for Birmingham Universitys
past 20 years a marked increase in Psychology Dept and published by the
crimes of violence. It would be unfair Home Office in 1993. The study
not to outline how one should go about followed local concern about the
claiming if one is ever a victim of crime, amount of crime and disorder at a
Claiming:- large shopping complex with an
Do not delay in reporting the facts to average of 400,000 shoppers a week.
the police. Fear of crime was further fuelled in the
The victims must report all relevant area by local newspaper reports such
circumstances to the police as as vicious gangs have turned the
practicable. If any relevant or important shopping precinct into a no-go area.
information is left out or otherwise But, of 1,060 incidents at the
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shopping complex in a 4 week period wrists to make him open his safe.
researchers found only 68 described Raymond Hill 67 of Patingham Staffs,
as actual crimes whilst 69 were was in hospital after the thieves stole
described as a nuisance. In that 10k in cash and jewellry
period some 1,600,000 people had Daily Telegraph 22/5/97
passed through. These were low crime
statistics. The fear was simply media A businesswoman, drinking at the
induced Cafe Royal in Londons West End was
robbed of a 10,000 Rolex by two
Car Crime teenagers while she waited to meet
The cost of private car theft in the UK friends. Doreen Chipchase had the
in 1996 was the highest since 1993, watch wrenched off her wrist. Her
up 14% on 95. Business theft also friend, Yvonne Ridley, a Sunday Times
increased by 16% on 95 at a cost of journalist 33 struggled with one of the
191 million. The UK theft rate of 1 in attackers. I had been sitting at a table
44 vehicles is the worst in Europe near the bar when the two men came
(broadly it is 1 in 60 there) and vehicles in and I sensed trouble
now form the largest part- 26% - of all Daily Telegraph 22/5/97
recorded crime in the UK.
A judge was severely criticised for
News jailing a double rapist for only 13 years
General editorial comment in the Daily instead of passing a life sentence. Taxi
Telegraph 97 referred to numbers of driver Leister admitted 6 different
crimes doubled from 2.5 million to 5 attacks on girls and young women in
million since 1980 and convictions the Leeds area, two of whom he
fallen from 45,000 to 300,000. This attacked with a wheel brace.
and similar reporting all raises the Leister raped for the first time in April
temperature of peoples fear of crime, 95 when he attacked a 25 year old
but, at the end of the day the crime woman, walking home from a new job.
has happened, but we shouldnt He put his hand over her mouth and
extrapolate the figures to make an pushed her under a footbridge, He told
epidemic. her he had a knife. The second woman
he first struck with a wheel brace - she
Raiders broke into a retired business- screamed and, fortunately, was able to
man's home and tortured him by pull away from him and escape. The
pouring boiling water over his legs and third victim, 25, was followed by Leister
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after he parked his taxi in the early only when she heard voices, she was
hours of one morning. He attacked her half naked and bleeding from the nose.
with a wheel wrench then raped her. Harrimans record to that point was that
He was caught by DNA testing as he at 16 he was sent to detention centre
had previous convictions. His light for 3 months for assaulting a woman
sentence was due to work by his and at 17 given 3 years for raping an
lawyer stating that he was prepared to American student, visiting Yorkshire. In
receive treatment and mend his ways 1982 he was given 18 months for
(Bollocks PC ). attacking a woman and indecent
Yorkshire Post 10/7/97 assault and in 1986 2 years for assault
and burglary. In 1987 he got 4 years
Rapist in outburst at 14 year jail after following a girl in Garforth, Leeds
term and threatening her with a knife, her
A convicted rapist struggled violently in hand was cut as she tried to protect
the dock (June 97) after he was herself. In 1993 he was given 5 years
described as a danger to women and for assaulting a girl of 13 in Leeds.
jailed for 14 years. David Harriman, If ever there was a case for introducing
shouted, pointed and threatened the a three strike rule in the UK this piece
judge after he was committed of the of scum must be a shining example.
vicious rape of a mother aged 23 in
Leeds. He was eventually dragged They are out there though and when it
from the dock and the judge described comes to defending yourself, how do
him as a severe danger to all women. you know whether you are facing
Her nose was broken, he head-butted someone like Harriman, to whom
her after dragging her into an alley. violence against women is a
She had been looking for a Taxi in the profession, or someone to whom the
early hours of one morning in the attack may be a first time event and
Calls area of central Leeds when she who is not committed to violence. The
realised she was being watched by a likes of Harriman prove that you
man with piercing eyes. She crossed cannot assume the best - if you are
the road, but he confronted her and threatened you must go all out - its
dragged her by the hair into an alley going to be you or him.
where he head butted her, breaking
her nose, when she tried to resist him.
He then raped her four times after
telling her he had a knife. She escaped
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When the public learns that there is keeping aware and observant and
safety in numbers and the person that without letting paranoia take a grip and
doesnt get the help may one day be coming to terms with the very simple
you, an adjustment in ones thinking fact that tomorrow it could be our turn.
may be required. Dont, however, rush
in where angels -- etc etc! There is no hard and fast rule about
where violence can occur. In the
It is a fact that perceptions of the levels course of my work I can be in some of
of crime exceed the actuality. The the worst parts of the world where
danger though in pushing this fact violence is as common as spitting and
is that a person, by dint of their can happen with just as little thought,
psychological makeup, looks for but I will see none of it happen. By
any excuse to feel secure and contrast the following report from the
unconcerned about the situation. It is Daily Telegraph in Sept 97, though
admirable to want people to illustrates how it can erupt in even the
understand the statistics, but I believe most benign setting:
it serves no purpose. To tell someone A German tourist watched helplessly
that his chance of being robbed in the as his wife was shot dead by armed
street will only happen statistically raiders during a robbery at a hotel in
once in a hundred years misses the an English county town. They were in
point, in that as he is being told the the bar of the County Hotel when two
figures, some hundred or more people masked men, one carrying a sawn-off
up and down the country are being shotgun walked into the bar just after
mugged.
There is no
safety in sta-
tistics. There
is only safety
and security
in having a
very healthy
respect for
the inherent
dangers in
our daily The weapons - mostly shotguns - that Black and his gang had used to terrorise
the Bedford area.
environment,
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midnight. As one woman screamed a pursue them, which in this case and to
Alvin Black, pointed the shotgun at the Bedford polices credit, did not work.
German woman's face and shot the 56 The reason for including the case
yr old at close range, killing her as the report is to try and give you a picture of
pellets entered her brain. He and his the mental make up of such people as
accomplice fled. According to the pros- Black who would not hesitate to kill or
ecution Black was one of four ruthless maim you. If you dont believe these
armed robbers who terrorised the town people are about you are very sadly
of Bedford from spring 1995 to the wrong and neither believe that you can
summer of 1996. They robbed shops reason your way out of situations - it
and businesses, raiding one post office could go badly wrong.
three times. They entered the homes
of local shopkeepers and business Comparisons
people. They wore masks, they carried So we are not safe wherever we are
weapons, sawn-off shotguns, pistols, and if, even knowing this, we are not
axes, sledge-hammers and knives. prepared to accept the the first
The firearms were loaded. principle of personal security that the
individual is responsible for his or her
On November 15th 1997, Black was own security there will be little anyone
sentenced to life imprisonment for the else will be able to do for you.
murder and 21 years for conspiracy to
rob. Two of his henchmen were Many groups and programmes which
sentenced to 13 years and another for have been set up to teach women's
3 years for wounding with intent. Black, safety, quite correctly want women and
it transpired had previous convictions people in general to go about their
for aggravated burglary and rape, had life unafraid. The use of crime statistics
been arrested twice before, but to show the infrequency, on a
released through lack of evidence. He, mathematical basis of probability is
typically accused the police of not, however, the way to go about it.
intimidation at every turn and was We are all individuals and, as such,
armed with a tape recorder for when subject to the vagaries of life.
he was stopped. Black and his kind are Fate, luck, ill-fortune, chaos, whatever
the worst type of the scum out there, we want to call it, is the unknown that
who play the police - coloured we all face. There used to be a saying
prejudice card for all they are worth in in business which went - If things are
an attempt to reduce police resolve to going well look over your shoulder
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Evonne wrote the body of work which be associated with the preparation of
became the Bill and eventually the Act the legislation.
and she is the acknowledged expert on
stalking and harassment. Sadly, as is Evonne von Heussen was herself a
always the case, there is now a a victim of persistent stalking for 13
profusion of so called experts trying to years by a former University lecturer,
relieve victims of money for their who first noticed Evonne when she
services. Those of us in the Close attended two lectures. For three years
Protection field have had these same not knowing who was responsible she
individuals with made up received obscene calls and letters,
backgrounds come out of the pornographic photographs, photos of
woodwork as experts! and we know herself and her daughters, had acid
who they are as they, as usual, poured on her car and dead flowers
convince others, who have no means left on her doorstep, some taken from
of knowing to the contrary, of their graves with RIP labels still attached. In
credibility and expert status. If you are 1978 he turned up at her home and
a victim of stalking or harassment then carried out an assault. Despite the
you most certainly do not need an police being called they considered it a
expert whose only purpose is to domestic and left with issuing to the
relieve you of your money. man a caution. From then on her life
was shattered as she was dogged by
Even as Evonne von Heussen was this man for years to come. It was not
writing the legislation attempts were until 1992 that the attention finally
made by others to hijack the work and ceased and It was not until 1994, some
claim it as their own. One female MP, 16 years later that she was able to
who shall remain nameless attempted write about the situation .
this, only to be forcibly prevented by
an honest Home Office who were Dogged by nightmares and a constant
working closely with Evonne. Another feeling of being hunted Evonne still
organisation involved in personal finds it difficult to be alone with male
safety also saw commercial advantage company and to be confined or not to
in being seen as the organisation who feel in complete control. Even having
were taking the lead, so as to further to have anaesthetic makes her feel this
gain financial reward, but this was loss of personal control. Her stalker
patently not the case and remains so had followed her everywhere,
despite their many media attempts to threatened her and her two daughters
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victims fall into three distinct Of these 55% had left violent, abusive
categories which will be outlined later. relationships before the stalking
3,211 persons who report general began. In 22% of these cases children
harassment by neighbours, gangs and are involved and have often suffered
children. sever effects due to the ordeal of the
parents. Many children have suffered
Many of the victims are either elderly and endured physical, sexual and
people, children who are being bullied psychological violence.
by older teens or by adults and people 10% of people are being stalked by
who are being bullied or stalked within people who are known to them on a
the workplace. It also includes obese, casual basis (Casual Contact
gay and disabled people who are Stalking).
victimised because of what they are. 5% of people are being stalked by
people they claim to be unknown to the
1,120 people with psychiatric victim (Stranger Related Stalking).
disorders. A small group of individuals, 78, have
claimed to be victims of stalking
These callers have reported that (Fictitious Stalking) when in fact they
generally they have been hearing are making it up, often due to some
voices in their heads, or being other problem. Some of these people
controlled by electronic forces via have very high profile cases.
their radios and television sets. These Between 1992 and Spring 1996, 17
people are only stalked by their own stalking related deaths of victims have
mental bogey man. Many have occurred nationwide (some of whom
severe mental problems, need had contacted NASH). Only two of
someone to talk to and have in many them were men.
cases been let down by the system. In addition, the suicides of 4 stalkers
78 stalkers i.e. 18 men and 60 have been reported to NASH in the
women. same period.
33% of female victims who made Nashs figures clearly show that
contact for help, advice and support women are more likely to be stalked
were raped, or have suffered violent than men. Sufficient data is not yet
sexual abuse by their stalker. available to be accurate on the ratio,
85% of victims are being stalked by but figures from the States indicate a
an ex-partner (Post Relationship probability of 6:1 (6 women to 1 man).
Stalking). 95% of all stalking victims (a combi-
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nation of people who have called the NASH is affiliated to the National
NASH help-line, or who have written) Victim Crime Centre in Washington
report inadequate help from the police. D.C. and has many other International
The remaining 5% have found the links. Currently establishing regional
police very helpful and sympathetic, support groups NASH continues as the
but they failed to make referral to any countrys leading support association
support agency such as NASH. for stalking and harassment.
99% of victims felt that police officers Address:-
with whom they were in contact were NASH
complacent, cynical, pre-judgemental, Bath Place Community Venture,
insensitive and unknowledgeable Bath Place,
about the ordeal of being a stalking Leamington Spa
victim. Hopefully with the weight of CV31 3AQ Tel/Fax 01926-850089
legislation and better education the E-Mail antistalking@dial.pipex.com
police will provide a better service to
these victims of crime. Broken Windows
A significant number of victims felt let In the past four years the murder rate
down by the Crown Prosecution has halved, robberies are down by 40
Service for a variety of reasons (this per cent, and car thefts by a third and
shouldnt come as a surprise to crime, in general, at its lowest level for
anyone - PC) 30 years -Utopia? - no, New York,
100% of all lawyers who contacted thanks to a policy now known as
NASH for advice, complained of zero- tolerance. A city that by the
their frustration regarding the lack of mid-eighties was as good as written off
knowledge exhibited by magistrates has experienced an almost Lazarus
and by some judges and by other like recovery. Big business and the
members of the the criminal justice middle class are moving back and
system. there is a safer feel about the city.
The transformation was the
As well as dealing with the victims and consequence of one mans belief in the
perpetrators of stalking over the same concepts expressed in a magazine
period NASH dealt with 3,790 media article. William Bratton, Police Chief
enquiries, 311 students from law, of New York was a believer in the
journalism, and psychology, 20 concepts outlined in a magazine
lawyers and 30 police officers. article in 1982 called Broken
Windows, authored by a Professor of
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his force like a major business corpo- enough to adopt such an approach is
ration with performance targets, his to come to terms with the backlash
officers proceeded to clear the parks of from the vocal, minority left who
winos, the streets of teenagers carry- equate such intolerance and the desire
ing portable hi-fis and the intersections of the majority of people to want to root
of windscreen-washing squeegee out crime and violence, to police
men. As Brattons men hacked away at harassment. It happened in New York,
the lower levels of crime the upper lev- but Bratton and Mayor Guiliani had
els amazingly caved in, getting the none of it, stuck to their guns and the
message that the police were once results are there for all to see. We live
again empowered to tackle all crime at in hope!
every level and were prepared to carry
it through, despite the outcries of the
liberal left.
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C H A P T E R F O U R
Street Security
his is where all your 30% of all assaults. You only need to
T
training and thinking read one weeks newspapers to see
about the concepts we the full extent of the street crime, even
have discussed in during the day.
Chapter 2 - Awareness
come into play. The first thing is Switch On. Start the
A physically well protected home, game of people watching and
where you practise good personal situation awareness. When you leave
procedures (see Chapter 5) is a very your house on a sunny morning to walk
safe place to be. The street is not by 300m to the shops or leave your office
comparison. In Close Protection work at lunchtime to walk around town you
our most vulnerable time with a client is do not expect to end up in hospital
when we are out on a walkabout stabbed or dead! - some people never
somewhere. The next most vulnerable return. Forget the statistics for a
time is when we are in vehicles, which moment, they will give you no comfort
can give us a false sense of security. nor assistance if tomorrow its your
As we outlined in Chapter 2, an attack turn. When you make a transition
probably wont happen to us in broad from one environment to another the
daylight in a very busy street, rather it Traffic Lights in your head must be
will be when we enter a more deserted clearly visible.
area with poor lighting, less people,
more hiding places and escape routes. Risk Reduction
Remember, however, not to believe we Risk Reduction exercises ask that you
are safe in daylight, as 48% of indecent make yourself very familiar with your
assaults took place daylight, as well as surrounding areas you live in and work
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S T R E E T S E C U R I T Y
near. Familiar in the sense that there ing seminars I ask the people who they
has been the application of a process would think is the most difficult type of
of Risk Analysis. In other words you person to mug. The answer which we
have identified the vulnerable areas. If eventually come to is a deaf person on
you are a woman this probably means the run. With someone whose deaf its
you should not walk the dog or walk impossible to use a question as a
with your children in densely wooded deception and its impossible to run
and isolated areas, where bushes and alongside whilst you demand their
structures can provide hiding areas. wallet. The converse then, as to who is
There have been enough very bad easy to mug, becomes easy to see
incidents in the UK for this surely by and the chart below contrasts the
now to have gone home and these various aspects we should adopt;
have not happened in poorer, deprived
areas. But even in a busy city centre EASY TO MUG
you must be sensitive to your Stopped.
surroundings. Both people and places Looking around and lost.
need to be evaluated and to do this you Holding your wallet or purse.
must let the information into your Looking at a map.
cognitive processes. If you shut out the Walking slowly.
stimulus of your environment then you In a dream.
are actually providing hiding places for Deep in conversation.
people to conceal themselves.
HARD TO MUG
How You Are Perceived Jogging.
So switch on and, more importantly, Fast and purposeful walk (late for an
look as if you are switched on. Body appointment).
language is the most important, Aggressive.
subjective self protection message that Alert demeanour.
you emit. You should send out signals Fleeting eye contact.
that tell others you are aware, Erect and self assured.
confident, in control, know where you
are going and will be difficult to take by Unknown Risk
surprise. Walk- Aware, Briskly and with Remember, most street crime is
Purpose- dont display vulnerability. opportunistic and for this to happen a
number of factors have to be in place.
Always walk with speed. When Im giv- First you have to be chosen as a target.
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People who look wealthy or display subterfuge, cunning and high intellect,
that wealth on their wrist in the form applying psychology to the capture
of a gold watch are a target of their victims. This allows them to
economically. The final piece of the get close even in broad daylight,
selection is down to you and how you particularly as this is when no-one is
appear. Look switched off and you suspecting such an encounter.
have put the pieces of the picture into
place for you to be a victim, you are If A Car Stops
now also a target opportunistically. Take nobody at face value and if you
are asked for directions by anyone in a
We cannot forget the person who car, preferably do not stop, but if you
holds a permanent grudge against have to keep a good six feet or more
people who are patently successful, away and dont be drawn towards the
particularly women who are then
easy targets of his abusive
behaviour or violence. In many
sexual attacks the desire to
dominate and cause suffering is
greater than the sexual gratification
and, often, such a person will
seldom fit the popular description of
someone you would immediately be
frightened of in the street. Both here
and in the US the most gruesome of
serial killers would cause no one to
give them a second glance in the
street . They are the boy next door
and the husband next door, which
is how they are able to get close to
their victims.
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Muggings
(Street Robberies)
These can take place day and night
but, generally they will take place
in secondary areas, to the main
shopping and business areas of major
cities, although attacks do take place
in even the busiest and best areas.
The perpetrators of street robberies
are the disaffected and violent youth of
today. The exhibit three things - need,
Now its not so innocent and you could be in greed and hatred.
big trouble.
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12 and 18. Streatham did not have the longer. Muggers - they change their
worst robbery in the Met, but a diverse clothes as often as three times a day
mixture of shops, restaurants, quiet and buy reversible jackets so we wont
side streets, six British Rail stations pick them up in the area as a suspect
and a red light district offer chances for for wearing clothes described by the
opportunist criminals. victim. Sometimes they wear vests
under so they throw their shirts away
It was reported that most hunt in packs and look completely different in a string
or posses and the greatest number of vest.
offenders were young, black males. It
would appear very few have a drugs A lot operate in gangs and intimidate
habit to feed; they are driven purely by people. Before they can be initiated
the desire to wear the latest designer into some of the posses they have to
gear or carry a mobile phone. commit a violent robbery and, in one
Streatham police instigated a very case, they have to stab someone. The
pro-active approach to the problem police admitted anyone can be a victim
with dedicated teams of officers and of street robbery - there are so many
vehicles. With plain clothes officers
carrying out surveillance on the areas
where they operate successes
occurred quickly. On the first day of the
operation they had a hit with a gang
who attacked an 80 year old woman.
Three youths pounced on the victim
and stole her pension book, dislocating
her shoulder as they bundled her to
the ground. The youths were quickly
arrested by officers working nearby.
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One of the main problems facing the handed and laughing , she said my
robbery squad is the fact that many of nose was dislodged to one side and
the victims are unable to provide a I had to have an operation under
description of the muggers. general anaesthetic to reset it. This
has made me very cautious about
A lot of offences are committed from going out and I try not to carry a bag,
behind, with jewellry and bags but I want to live my life as normally as
snatched. That means the victim never possible.
sees the offender properly. Other
times the offence is based on fear, with She has been out in the police robbery
the offender making so many threats car on several occasions trying to
about what will happen to the victim if identify the thug who has left her wary
the police are called that the offence about venturing out on the streets
goes unreported or is reported a long alone. The attacker enjoys inflicting
time after the offence. pain and suffering - anyone who thinks
this type of person is open to reason
The Violence Involved and that he thinks like we do probably
A young mother of two needed surgery still believes in the tooth fairy. Today
after being brutally attacked in a quiet there are still the remnants of a liberal
side street in Streatham. Lisa 22 was thinking that believes that a bit of
walking towards a late-night chemists social engineering will solve the
at about 8pm on a Friday night when problem and that all people are
she spotted a man talking on a mobile inherently good. It is a complete
phone. As she passed him he nonsense as it is not to accept that
demanded her handbag then butted ethnic minority groups are not
her in the face, sending her sprawling engaged in any crime. Need, greed
to the ground in agony. Lisa recalls he and hatred, plain and simple and until
said give me your bag, bitch and head it is recognised that there is a war
butted me at the same time. I went stiff going on in the streets the thugs and
like a board and kept my head cradled scum will have the ascendancy.
in my arms. He hit me in the face again
and kicked my leg really hard. I was in Such crimes as Taxing which is the
panic when I saw all the blood and I act of throwing bricks through a lone
was worried he would stab me. If he womans car window in traffic to steal
had just asked me for my bag I would handbags, is only one example of the
have given it to him. He ran off empty state to which matters have sunk.
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Lets look at some of the general point- have not seen the incident develop
ers as to how a street robbery occurs: with enough time to alter course and
seek safety, your first weapon is your
Progression of The Event voice.
1. Observation and selection Be specific when yelling for help.
based on vulnerability. Run/spread the distance and find
ease and escape. people.
Forget your doubts.
2. Test for Opportunity Forget the embarrassment factor.
any witnesses. If you dont do these things the event
are you paying attention. will progress and you will need Part 2
how are you reacting to distance of this book sooner than you thought,
gap closing. and if it progresses anyway what have
the contact approach method. you learned.
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remember you can never resist you approach the more options you have.
can only fight. To simply resist would Awareness factors.
get you seriously hurt. Consider temporary cooperation
which may assist in reassessment and
better positioning - in other words can
you buy some time.
If able to break and run - do so.
Ineffective defensive manoeuvre will
make matters worse.
If you must, fight to escape - Timing,
Technique, Tenacity.
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anything closer than a very extended Lowering tone and volume of voice.
striking range. He will also offer to Standing still.
shake your hand as if he has made a Looking down at the ground.
mistake, but under no circumstance Falling to, or kneeling on the ground.
accept or be drawn into the ploy or you Lifting of eyebrows (shows fear/
will be unconscious before you know anxiety).
where you are. This type of individual Backing away.
will also be very challenging and make
a direct, but quiet enquiry about what BE CAREFUL - dont fall for a ploy. Ive
you are going to do and will say go on seen people fake submission only to
then do something lets see what blast off again when the deception
youve got , as if he is totally prepared has worked. It happens, particularly,
and infallible. Its a psychological ploy when you have them restrained and
hes used many times before and he they convince you they will not offer
will be good at it. One way or another any more problems, only to have them
you will not escape the consequences explode at you again once they are
of such a confrontation. You must stay released. There is an old Japanese
in control and, unfortunately, act Samurai saying which should come to
sooner rather than later. your mind every time you think things
are OK and the fight is over-
It may be that to use your verbal skills
effectively may dissuade aggression, WHEN THE BATTLES OVER,
but if it doesnt then on recognising the TIGHTEN YOUR HELMET STRAPS
signals you will have to escalate your
force response. Remember, if a person
submits and ceases aggressive or Some Points or Dos and Don'ts
resistant behaviour you must be The following list of Dos and Donts
prepared to de-escalate, so to speak, are applicable not only in respect of
your level of response. To know when street robberies, but as points of
this should happen we need to know general street security:
not only from verbal affirmations, but Dont show expensive jewellry.
also from non-verbal signals that they Carry your handbag in a self
have had enough:- conscious way- let it fall in front of you
Putting hands up in front of the body. not behind - flap in toward you so it
palms out. cant be snatched from behind - one
Reduction in large movements. method of attack is the fast hit and run
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first can deny any involvement even if Distribute your money around your
he doesnt run. They may use an alley person divide notes and keep some
off the main road you are on to wait in old credit cards in a top jacket pocket.
- so raise your awareness etc. These are give aways.
Consider carrying a bluff purse or
wallet to give away.
Before going into a shop to buy
something, carefully try to prepare the
correct amount to pay for the item
dont sort it out in the shop as you can
be targeted there and they know in
which pocket you keep what they want.
Never stop in the street for any
request or Question and Answer
session.
Dont take shortcuts.
Never pass through a subway until
Switched Off and too close to the corner. you can utilise a full escort of other
people.
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Switched On in
Condition Yellow
and alert to the
potential threat.
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Never walk close to buildings, past may be possible to improvise, but the
unlit doorways and alleyways, keep reality of this we will look at later.
well out from the building to avoid
being jumped. Another Experience
Walk facing traffic - this prevents a A teenage gang member was found
vehicle pulling up to you unseen and guilty of mugging the husband of the
deters kerb-crawlers. UKs Director Of Public Prosecutions.
If a car stops use your voice. The 17 year old youth stabbed John
Never accept a lift from a stranger, Mills 58, between the ribs with a
even if he claims his car is a taxi. butterfly knife as he walked towards
If you are wearing high heels take his Camden home, in North London.
them off before you run. Bleeding heavily, the businessman
If taken home at night ask to be staggered 100 yards to his front door,
watched into the house. where he collapsed into the arms of his
If you think you are being followed go wife, Barbara.
to the nearest occupied area and call
the police. The news article reported that the
blade had partially severed an artery in
Walk quickly across the road and his abdomen and could have killed
cross it again if necessary. him, but for emergency surgery. The
Walk to a busier area where there Jury took 4.5 hours to convict the
will be other people - a shop, a garage, attacker of GBH. He was also found
well lit house, pub, cab office etc. guilty of robbing Mr Mills of a wallet,
If you go into a shop for help BE credit cards and cash. Mr Mills had
CALM dont scream or shout, or they been surrounded by 6 youths in May
will react against you and take you as 95. He was punched around the head
a threat - be rational, reasonable in and shoulders and grabbed by the
your request for help. neck. He handed over about 100 but
Chequebook caution -home address! did not realise he had been stabbed
phone number. until after the gang ran off.
Dont flash expensive jewellry. As reported in the Sunday
Carry a sound alarm. Times 21/12/96
Keys should not bear name and
address. Public Transport
It is an offence to carry any item for Avoid lonely bus stops particularly at
the sole purpose of self defence but it night.
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both brothers terrified commuters with If you think you are being followed,
death threats, blows and demands for check by crossing the street - more
money. The passengers were ordered than once if necessary, to see if he or
to deposit their valuables in plastic they follows. If you are still worried get
bags. Some commuters hid their to the nearest place where people are
possessions and one woman hid a pub or anywhere with lights on and
jewellry in her mouth. After their arrest call the police. Again avoid using
Aaron Baxter escaped from Tanner enclosed phone boxes in the street as
Bridge Magistrates court during a an attacker could trap you inside.
scuffle. He received an extra 9 months For women the advice is to wear flat
for this offence. This latter incident heeled shoes at night if you know you
says something about control and may have to walk. If someone actually
restraint techniques. struggles with you high heeled shoes
will not be an aid to balance or running.
Out & About Walk down the middle of the
NONE OF US IS INVISIBLE! pavement. Keep clear of alleyways,
- It is folly to think we go unnoticed and shrubbery and dark doorways. Try and
it wont happen to us. think where someone could be
Trust your intuition - if you feel scared concealed e.g. behind the rubbish skip
or uneasy - dont ignore but act on it. you are walking towards.
Be Alert when out and about. Dont stop to help at a road accident,
Dont be out on the street if you have if necessary go for help.
had too much too drink, Moderate your
Always have your keys ready when
intake if you know you will be walking
you arrive home so as to minimise the
or ensure you have a known taxi
time you are stood at the door fumbling
company picking you up.
in your bag or pockets. In London in
Walk tall keep your feet slightly apart
1997 there was a gang operating in
for good balance, keep your head up
wealthy residential areas which
and your mind focussed on your
targeted people outside their homes to
surroundings. Keep your hands out of
steal their watches.
your pockets.
know where you are going and how At your front door be even more
to get there. cautious and aware than you have
look confident without appearing been all night.
arrogant. Avoid trouble makers well before by
good posture, stamina, strength are crossing over the road and ignore
all positive aids to good self protection comments.
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The use of force is only to be Attack - Hit hard and break away to
recommended in a self defence run. Be furious and throw your weight
situation after you have exhausted into him and break away. Dont stay to
certain other options . If attacked 3 fight your tactic is Hit and Run
options - Flight, Compromise,
Attack.
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majority of taxi drivers pose no risk and drink had very sadly clouded her
are, in too many cases all to often the judgement.
victims of violence themselves. Very
few taxi drivers I know dont carry Jogging
something with them in their cab to When jogging dont wear a Walkman
give them an edge. Only this year a and if female dont jog in deserted
taxi driver was seriously assaulted and parks, wooded and bushy areas and
bitten in the face 21 times by his always face oncoming traffic. Dont jog
assailant who has scarred him for life. habitually at the same time of the
The attacker bit two people who went same day each week and the same
to his assistance and, whilst on parole, applies with cycling - vary times and
stabbed someone else to death. routes. Stay to well lit roads and pave-
ments. On commons and park lands
Life In Jail For Pretend Taxi Driver keep to main paths and open spaces
On October 22nd 1997, a Judge at where you can see and be seen by
Manchester Crown Court sentenced other people.
glue sniffing, drug dealing Duncan Always choose well lit and well
Bermingham to life for the sex attack populated streets.
and brutal murder of 22 year old Plan your route.
Rachel Thacker. Rachel, a graduate
and campaigner for womens safety
failed to follow her own advice,
following a night out when, after too
much to drink, and despite the efforts
of her friends to convince her to the
contrary, she flagged down
Bermingham in the mistaken belief
he was a cabbie. The next day her
naked body was found behind a
pub, having been battered around the
head with a breeze block, disfigured
beyond recognition and then set on
fire after Bermingham had poured
petrol over her. Her friends were
Avoid counting or handling money in the street,
unable to convince her that it wasnt particularly if you also have your purse or wallet
in your hand.
a taxi, but the assumption is that
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5
C H A P T E R F I V E
Home Security
T
of every- when they mature. It is estimated that
one, it 70-90% of all domestic burglaries
w a s result from an easy opportunity - door
declared not locked, window left open,
in a case mail/papers in the letter box, milk on
in 1604, the doorstep. The latter two visually
is to him as his castle and indicate that no-one is in. Also dont
fortress. believe that household burglaries only
occur during the hours of darkness.
This principle has come to be the
cherished credo of millions of citizens, The police have over recent years in
but it would probably have come as no the UK begun to recognise the extent
surprise to anyone in those times to of the problem and initiatives like
learn that nearly 400 years later our Operation Bumblebee which began in
houses are even more like fortresses North London in 1991 led to 5,000
than they were then. arrests and solved 10,000 burglaries in
N.London alone. Burglaries in the
In the UK 900,000 burglaries are Metropolitan Police Service fell by 9%
committed each year e.g. 1 in 25 in the third quarter of 1993 after the
houses burgled, i.e. 75,000 per month, initiative was extended to the whole of
17,300 per week, 2,471 per day. Most the MPS in June. Remember though
crimes against property are committed that many acts of violence also occur in
by unprofessional, opportunists. A the home, be it of a domestic nature or
large proportion are male adolescents in the furtherance of robbery. Many
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people are assaulted in places they Lord McGowan was hit about the head
feel most safe. and had a finger broken and described
the ordeal these men were constantly
For most of us, as it records above, swearing and threatening me. It was an
the majority of household crime is awful ordeal, terrifying. My wife is
opportunistic and perpetrated on the shattered. Police believe the raids
basis of least risk. Good physical could be linked to similar attacks on the
security and creating the illusion of homes of other wealthy people.
occupancy when you are out, together
with a good alarm system may deter In March thieves using identical tactics,
the opportunist thief. If, however you raided the Birmingham home of
are considerably up the wealth scale Coventry City football team Manager,
you could face a more serious threat Ron Atkinson and Port Vale Manager
armed and violent robbery. Bill Bell. Last week Lady Dudley was
robbed by knife men at her 1 million
As the physical security of households West London home.
and commercial premises gets increas- Reported Daily Mail 28/10/96
ingly more sophisticated, it is becoming
harder to break in and steal. The same So from the above we can see that
is happening with vehicles and villains good Home Security will be a working
now recognise that the only option is to combination of both Physical Security
gain access by being let in. Once measures and Procedures. In my book
entry is gained violence or the threat of The Modern Bodyguard the security
it can open safes and elicit the where- considerations of looking after a
abouts of money and other valuables. residence of some substance is
reviewed. In this book I need to keep
50,000 in jewellry was taken from a the procedural side to more realistic
safe by an armed gang, after blindfold- levels to accommodate the wider
ing and handcuffing City financier Lord readership. Lets look at the following
McGowan and his wife. This was procedural matters initially:-
during a raid on their country home.
The 3 man gang, wearing balaclavas, General Procedures
had crept up to the back of the building If you awake or hear the sound of an
through the garden. After handcuffing intruder only you can decide how best
the couple, threats of shooting were to handle the situation. You may want
made, although no firearm was seen. to lie quietly to avoid attracting
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attention to yourself, in the hope that show people around on your own. Ask
they will leave. Or, you may feel more the estate agent to send someone
confident if you switch on the lights round with anyone who wants to view
and make a lot of noise by moving the house.
about. Even if you are on your own call Same if you are selling a car.
out loudly to an imaginary companion - Make a last check before going to
most burglars will flee empty handed bed, that all doors and windows are
rather than risk a confrontation. Ring closed and locked.
the police as soon as its safe for you to
do so. A telephone extension in your Answering The Door
bedroom is obviously a good idea and Wherever possible know who you
may make you feel more secure as expect to call i.e. by appointment. Get
it allows you to phone the police friends to let you know they will be
immediately. If the receiver has been coming not just to drop in.
taken off downstairs, however then this Try to identify the caller, before
is a non option and a mobile phone by opening the door- peephole, intercom,
your bedside on charge is a better camera to verify or qualify identity.
option. These days lifting the receiver If not known do not open.
off the hook for any length of time can Dont let them know you are alone.
elicit a shrieking sound from the Think before you open.
exchange which most burglars would Weigh time and circumstance - not
avoid. Cutting the line would be a appearance!
better option for them. Do not forget to re-secure the door
after the caller has gone.
Never reveal anything to a stranger Always use the chain or door preven-
and never let anyone know you are ter when holding a conversation.
alone- Use only your surname and At night always switch on your
initial in the phone directory or exterior light to illuminate the caller and
nameplate. Dont advertise you are a leave the interior light off, which could
single woman. illuminate you.
If you see signs of a break-in at your Be suspicious of a call for
home e.g. a smashed window, or door, assistance at night which might be a
dont go in as the burglar may still be decoy to lure you outside
inside. Go to a neighbour and phone Do not let anyone in to use you
the police phone
If you are selling your home dont Dont let small children open the door.
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suitable for attaching to hinged doors Door Limiter - The door limiter -has
of business offices, shops, and similar benefits to a chain.
domestic premises. Remember, It usually has more resistance than a
though a lock is only as good as the chain to physical assault.
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Comprehensive household security need not be expensive, but security products, as with
most other specialist products, are rarely cheap. If they are of good quality. Often this is
better to do nothing and keep your wits about you than buy cheap products which will fail.
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Windows
Generally windows are at risk are
those at the rear of the premises, at
ground floor level or where access is
possible due to features of the building
which allow easy access by climbing, Shutters these days can be as com-
prehensive as you like. Here they are
e.g. flat garage roof.Although glass is completely enclosing external roll
shutters.
easily broken it is noisy to do so. For
this reason other methods of entry will Locks and fastenings
usually be tried before resorting to Special Glass
breaking glass because of the Glass substitutes
attention which may be attracted. It is Alarm installations
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The Express Wed 6/9/96 its pretty safe to assume there are no
The gang escaped with valuables at dogs- Ego EH!
least worth 100,000 after having
slashed Lisa Davies arm and Credit Card Fraud
threatening the couples housekeeper, In 1996 thieves and fraudsters ran up
during the robbery at their home in a bill of 97 million on debit and credit
Londons exclusive Hampstead. cards belonging to other people. There
Police were studying the links between was an average of 400 spent on
this attack and similar robberies in each card with 300 being spent
exclusive parts of London. The month before it was reported - which means
before the Earl and Countess of the holder is not necessarily entitled
Dudley were attacked in their to get the money back. Always report
Kensington home by two masked a stolen card the moment you know
raiders who escaped with a fortune in it has gone. In 1996 462,000
jewellry. Barclaycards were stolen or lost
Police believe gangs deliberately world-wide and 377,000 Connect
target wealthy couples after checking cards. About half the cards used
the pages of society magazines like fraudulently were stolen in burglaries,
Tatler and Hello magazines to identify car break-ins, muggings and
victims. Ego Eh! pick-pocketing. With one car being
broken into every minute in the UK
Best Practise cards left in vehicles are particularly at
It is standard procedure when we have risk and, in fact, one in seven
a client for whom we are providing Barclaycards or Barclays Connect
Close Protection to advise against any cards stolen was taken from a car.
photographs of their homes and
offices. There can be nothing worse Credit card fraud doesnt require the
than to appear in Hello, with the photos offender to physically have hold of your
showing the aerial view of your home, card. Remember, all your credit card
views of the principal rooms and the details are on a transaction receipt and
Rembrandts on the walls and the people leave them in all sorts of
smiling family decked out in their finest places. Often they are left in shopping
and most expensive jewellry. trolleys, or thrown away and there are
instances where receipts have been
If there are any family dogs they are pulled out of dustbins. Once a crook
usually in the shots and if they arent gets hold of your credit card details he
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can buy by phone or these days over Dont write down your PIN and never
the Internet, always coming up with a disclose it to anyone, even if they claim
convincing reason to the retailer as to to be from your bank or the police.
why the delivery address is different Never leave cards unattended in a
from the card address. Still, though, bag, briefcase or pocket in a public
60% of fraudulent transactions take place. Keep your bag or briefcase on
place over the counter, but many your lap and if you leave it on the floor
organisations like Barclays track secure the strap.
spending trends of clients and may ask When using your credit card, ask for
for a person check if a particular and destroy any carbon paper from the
purchase is out of the ordinary. transaction. Dont throw it in a public
rubbish bin - crooks may retrieve it
and use your number, but be sure to
keep your own copy and check it
against your statement
Report lost or stolen cards to your
bank or building society immediately
by using the 24 hour emergency
telephone number on your state-
ment.
Consider registering with a card
protection scheme- particularly if you
have several cards. The level of
insurance cover is good for the
premium charged.
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Many of the 65,300 domestic fires designed to be left on and if youre not
each year could be prevented sure check with the manufacturer or
1. Chip pan fires are one of the most the shop where you bought it.
common causes of fire in the home in
1993, in the UK. There were nearly 4. Fires from cigarettes, cigars and
17,200 such fires in the home leading pipes lead to more deaths than any
to 33 deaths and 3,600 non-fatal other causes. In 1993 there were over
injuries. 6,000 fires in the home caused by
- Never fill a pan more than one third smokers materials, leading to 172
full of fat or oil and do not leave it deaths (32% of the total number of
unattended when the heat is switched fatalities in the home) and over 2,000
on. If the pan does catch fire, dont injuries.
move it and dont throw water on it. - Do not leave a pipe, cigarette, or
Turn off the heat if it is safe to do so, cigar unattended and make sure you
cover the pan with a damp cloth or stub out any materials before going
towel and leave it to cool for 30 mins. to bed. Avoid smoking in bed (any
(If anybody who is reading this book reader who smokes or smokes in bed
actually cooks chips at home you need needs a serious dose of intellect, or
to read Fit To Fight and think about read Fit To Fight, practise some of
changing your diet -tubby!) the drills and then have a fag!)
2. Remember 1 socket - 1 plug! 5. Always keep portable heaters
Sockets can overheat and start a fire if away from furniture, furnishings and
several adaptors are being used. flammable items such as clothing and
Always make sure plugs and adaptors newspapers.
have the correct fuses for the
appliance and look for worn, or fraying 6. Children, because of their natural
flexes. Know the danger signs - fuses curiosity, can be at great risk from fire.
blowing, lights flickering, or brown Children should not be left alone in the
scorch marks on sockets and plugs. If house, or alone in a room where there
you have any doubts call a qualified are portable heaters, cookers or an
electrician. open fire. Keep children away from
matches and cookers and always have
3. Switch off and unplug electrical a fixed guard around an open fire.
appliances when they are not in use
and never leave them on overnight. 7. Do not rest clothes or put
Some appliances are, however, newspapers on a guard around an
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H O M E S E C U R I T Y
open fire - they can catch fire or get too tom of the door and call for help from
hot to handle and cause burns. Get the the window. Know your escape routes
chimney swept every year and rake in advance and make sure those
out the fire at night. routes are clear.
8. Electric blankets cause nearly 2,000 Finally get a smoke alarm, for over
fires each year in the UK. half the deaths are due to smoke
Have your blanket serviced each year inhalation. An alarm wont cost you
in accordance with the manufacturers much money and is easy to install.
instructions. Never use a blanket Many fires happen at night, so if you
which has singe marks or exposed ele- dont have a smoke alarm there is
ments and ensure it has British nothing to wake you up, apart from the
Standard BS3456 and BEAB on it. clanking of the Pearly Gates closing
When you buy a new blanket check for behind you.
overheat protection which causes the
electricity to cut out if it gets too hot. First Aid
Unplug blankets when you get into bed It is important that one or preferably all
unless they are marked as being adults and children are versed and up
suitable for use all night. to date in emergency first aid. There
are now many very good short
DIY - The majority of fires are caused courses available in most communities
by carelessness or ignorance. If power that there should be no excuse for
tools smell too hot or they spark ignorance in this area. I dont want to
excessively then take them to a pad out this book with first aid tips as
specialist repairer for an overhaul. in the UK every home should have a
Soldering irons should not be left copy of the excellent First Aid Manual
unattended when on and always use a authorised by St. John Ambulance,
proper rest or cradle. Always clear St. Andrews Ambulance Association
away wood shavings and rags and and British Red Cross. At the time of
check that tools are properly wired. writing it is in its 6th Edition and is first
class. Also every adult should take the
10. Do not tackle a blaze unless you time to attend at least a one day save
are sure its safe to do so - get a life course .
everyone out and call the fire brigade.
If you are trapped by fire, shut the
door, put a blanket or carpet at the bot-
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C H A P T E R S I X
Vehicle Security
ny reader who has the lock, either at the front door or the car
A
Modern Bodyguard, or door.
who is familiar with
Close Protection Kidnappings, as an example, occur in
procedures, will be or near the vehicle close to the home.
equally familiar with This is as a result of a number of
the distinction between Vehicle factors favouring the attackers. First,
Security and Mobile Security. The they will track your routine i.e. travel
former is to do with the security of the timings and routes. Second, your
vehicle, essentially, when it is static and route probably presents some good
your own personal security in relation opportunities, but third and most
to the vehicle. important you will be switched off in
the relative safety of your car, having
In Chapter 1 there was reference by just left, or about to reach the comfort
the Nashville Metro PD about of your own home and when you feel
Transitions i.e. the changes we secure.
make from, say, the home or office to
the street, from home or office to a Mornings are worse as people usually
vehicle, from the vehicle to being on take the first mile or so to sort things
foot and vice versa. Transitions are out e.g. radio, misted screen, seat
statistically dangerous times as it is at adjustment, car phone, etc. They
these points when we become most mentally surface about 5 blocks away
preoccupied with the mechanics of the and then concentrate on the journey.
transition i.e. fumbling in our purse or This is why so many accidents occur
pockets for keys, getting the key in the close to the domestic residence.
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
Basic personal security, as it relates to If we get the first part wrong you will
vehicles, concentrates on one basic see shortly, how we can create some
issue- attitude. I went on at some nightmare scenarios for ourselves
length in Chapter 2 - Awareness, about when we return to the car.
all the reasons we switch off and this
is more applicable when in a vehicle Think & Plan Ahead
than anywhere. We have a mistaken These days in the age of Health and
belief that we are secure in a car. The Safety we talk about a safe working
next chapter should dissuade us of that environment. What we are trying to
assumption, but in this chapter the achieve here is, very simply, a safe
concern is basically concentrated on parking environment. To achieve this
two aspects:- we need to Think Ahead! Our 3rd Eye,
1. How we leave our vehicle should become schooled in the risk
2. How we return to our vehicle analysis of trying to imagination the
circumstances which will
obtain when we return to
our vehicle.
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
your vehicle in a side street and walk as people, many professional or office
passed broken glass on the floor, you workers.
know you are in an area where car
break-ins occur. The Omissions
However, as you return at 8pm the
Once again our main problem is not place has become a desert. There are
the patently unsafe areas, one few if any people around and those
because we rightly avoid them and two that are now may seem a little
because as we know them to be bad unsavoury (solicitors and accountants
we adopt a more considered approach accepted) and the area has taken on a
to what we do there. It is, again the very secondary feel about it. You now
place we feel most comfortable that we begin to realise some very significant
are most at risk! This is with our every mistakes, or omissions you made
day routine. What do we need our 3rd earlier.
eye to do for us? Very simply it needs
to analyse what our vehicle and its At 2pm in the sun you took no
surroundings will look like on our return cognisance of the street lighting,
to it. If it is 2 oclock on a sunny, although you now realise it is poor to
Tuesday afternoon when you park and
you are going to come back one hour
later, things will look pretty much the
same.
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
lights in the street and is almost in car (a lone car parked next to yours
darkness. when the rest of the street is empty
should make you suspicious), particu-
More importantly some more serious larly if there are people in it.
factors may have a part to play. As you
look at your car you suddenly realise Lets expand on some of the points.
that you have parked next to what is a A good visual means that you are
very dark and threatening alley on the able to obtain an all round view of
same side as your drivers door and your vehicle. This is as much to do with
you will have your back to it as you your method of approach as how you
get in. It may be that there is no alley, park it. When you return to your car,
but there is a large builders skip the following golden rule must be
alongside your vehicle, and again you paramount-
will have your back to the unknown DONT BE SURPRISED BY YOUR
as you try and get in. For the skip or OWN VEHICLE.
alleyway, substitute a wooded area
alongside the road, bushes, dark door- For example if your approach to your
ways. Essentially you have created an vehicle requires to turn a corner off one
unsafe parking environment. To create street into the one where your car is
the opposite you need to have a few parked, then the above rule demands
simple things in place. that the car needs to be parked some
reasonable distance down the street
These are that you have:- you have turned into and not just
1. Ability to have a visual of your around the corner. If the vehicle is only
vehicle at a good distance as you 10-15 feet away when you first get a
approach it. visual you are too close. A hiding place
2. That your vehicle is well lit for people who are waiting to rob you
3. You have not created the opportuni- or worse on your return to the car may
ty for hiding places close to your be on the ground at the rear or at the
vehicle. side of the car, practically underneath.
4. You have created the opportunity to This will be the preferred place if you
abandon your vehicle should your have also parked in a corner e.g. a
awareness create suspicions as you multi-storey car park .
approach
5. Be aware and suspicious if people Distance Creates Time!
and other vehicles are close to your At 10-15 feet away, the one area you
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
You are too close to be able to get you can abandon it. So think about
far if they come after you. Flight has the route you may take to get back
now turned to fight. to where you have parked you car -
if there is a choice pick the one
which creates a
good visual.
Multi-Storey
Car Parks
How do you solve
the problems of
being able to see
your vehicle as we
have described
above and the rule
A well lit and spacious multi-storey car park. A good choice.
must still apply -
DONT BE SUR-
If, however, you turned that corner and PRISED BY YOUR OWN VEHICLE.
your car is some 30-50 yards away, If you remain guided by this, then the
then the scene that presents itself is at first point is dont park your car
a distance which allows assessment, immediately close to the lift or stair
evaluation and the ability to divert doors. This seems contrary to what
without drawing attention to yourself - you might think, but the rule must still
apply. If you walk out of the lift or
stairs and you are immediately
confronted by your vehicle you have
lost any opportunity of evaluation
and, probably escape.
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
underneath your vehicle, but also Know how good or bad the lighting is in
underneath any adjacent car or van. It the multi-storey you are going to use.
is impossible for anyone to be hiding Be familiar with the layout. City centre
and not be seen, but to make this work multi-storeys can be a desert at night,
in a large car park you need to get your lighting can be poor to very bad and
car near the up ramp. they can become dangerous places
for the unwary.
Never enter a
multi-storey if you
believe you are
being followed.
Also never park
in a multi-storey
or underground if
there are people
there who make
you uncomfort-
able.
This is no better - you still cannot see underneath the vehicle. If these Choose a car park
two were ducked down out of sight youd have no visibility underneath.
which has an
element of security
e.g. patrols or video surveillance on
each floor. If lighting is bad park in
such a way that you gain from any
borrowed light from adjacent street
lighting. Do not isolate yourself on the
very top floors-they usually fill up last,
but empty soonest. If the pay stations
are manned do your best to park in
proximity to them, but failing that be as
close to the ground floor as possible.
If you are working late in the office,
This is better - use the access from the floor consider moving your car out of a
below to enable you to see underneath
(P.S. - there are actually two legs showing, but multi-storey at an earlier hour
not with my photography - PC).
e.g. 5 - 6pm and park it closer to the
office. You will probably find a meter
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
Approaching
Your Vehicle
Given the broad guide-
line about a good
visual distance, you still
have to stay switched
on as the approach to
your car continues. Better - switched on to the potential risk and keeping her eyes on
where the threat may present itself not the doorlock. It may be
Your risk increases as inconvenient, but its safe.
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
A transition into a vehicle usually means This is better - the bodyguard entry. By get-
you enter one leg first. This makes you face ting in backside first, your body is oriented
forward and loses you vital, all-round vision. outwards as is your vision.
This can be the result. Many serial murderers Also your main weapons ie. your feet, are
use the vehicle transition as a point to strike. both still available to use effectively.
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
one leg in first which people common- automatically apply them unless you
ly do. One leg first orientates the stay switched on and plan;
body into a forward facing profile, so Never leave your house keys in your
breaking visual contact with what may car, particularly if there is an address
be coming towards you from the side. and identity as well, e.g. vehicle log
Backside first, keeps you facing the book . Whoever steals your car can
direction of any possible threat and also break into your home, because
keeps you with both feet on the ground he knows you are not at home. He will
longer. phone to see if anyone else is. He
may not do it himself, but phone an
The moment you are in LOCK THE accomplice.
DOORS as your very first action. Now Check petrol, oil, tyres prior to all
comes the hard part- which way have long journeys - in good nick - well
you parked? By that I mean have you serviced - always check in daylight in a
nosey parked which means you have safe place. If used regularly check oil
gone in the lazy way when you parked and water once a week.
which is nose in first or did you do it Always have ample fuel at least half
correctly and park rear end first which a tank.
probably took more time. Check tyres before every journey.
Listen to the engine, If it doesnt
Nosey parking is lazy and a dangerous sound right have it checked.
habit. One, it is impossible in restricted Make sure the brakes are working
parking spaces to actually get stuck efficiently. If you need to brake to avoid
going in nose first when you come to a threat better braking gives more
get out. Two, if someone approaches distance gives more time.
your car as you get into it you want to
be able to get out of there quickly and Guard Your Transport
with the least amount of fuss. In a A comprehensive report containing
panic trying to back out of a tight space some startling statistics was produced
can be problematic and dangerous. by the working group on car crime in
Women are the worst offenders in this the UK chaired Mr John Curtis, OBE.
regard and also the most at risk.
The group found that between 70 per
The following are some of the Dos cent and 90 per cent of all private
and Don'ts, but I will say it again car thefts were believed to be
knowing them doesnt mean you will opportunistic and that most car crimes
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
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V E H I C L E S E C U R I T Y
Try to avoid travelling alone at night. vehicle to be broken into for a child's
Have your car keys ready as you anorak and a plastic carrier. Apart from
approach the car. This allows you the mess and cost it could make you
speedy access to your vehicle, but more vulnerable. Before leaving it
equally as important it stops you make sure all doors are locked and
fumbling in your purse or pocket and windows closed.
so taking your eyes and therefore your Check the surroundings, BEFORE
attention of your surroundings. It can getting out of the car. Take a moment
also serve as a reasonable improvised or two to scan the surroundings,
weapon if attacked. particularly in multi-storeys.
Check the back seat and rear foot
well. We seem to spend an increasing
Lock all doors immediately you are in amount of time in our vehicles so
the vehicle before you do anything switch on. Attacks on or near vehicles
elsekeep a visual contact with your are on the increase as you will see in
surroundings as you get into the the next chapter, but even before we
vehicle - dont lose contact with what's embark on a journey we are at risk if
behind you and get transfixed with we act in a mindless way.
simply the interior of the car.
Do not leave your handbag or
briefcase on the seat, either put it in
the boot or put it well out of sight. The
same goes for your mobile phone. You
can be attacked when stopped for any
valuable item in sight.
Keep the windows closed when you
are stationery or in slow moving traffic
Always park your vehicle in a busy,
well lit street. Not only will you reduce
the risk of personal attack but also the
risk of your vehicle being targeted for
theft or vandalism
Avoid multi-storey car parks. If you
cant- heed what we have said already.
Make sure nothing is left on display in
the vehicle. It has been known for a
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C H A P T E R S E V E N
Mobile Security
A
we looked at some experiences.
pre-departure prepa-
rations. To these we Highway Robberies
can now add the In the mid to late 90s, a resurgence of
following. We are now highway robberies has begun to occur
safely in our car and travelling down on Britain's roads. An antique dealer
the road. We have a choice to make robbed on the motorway and a
and that very simply is to switch off or secretary attacked on a Welsh by-road
stay in control and use the opportunity are victims of Britain's latest crime.
to get some commentary work done.
You will be surprised about how much Mr Robin Udall 55 was attacked
of an improvement the practise will shortly after midnight when driving from
make to the standard of your driving. Cumbria to an antiques fair in London.
You will be more alert to both other I thought my time had come he said
road users and also the actions of still bearing the marks of his attack - cut
pedestrians. You will see situations marks on the chin and face from a flick
developing well ahead of you and you knife and a swollen left eye.
will feel that much more in control.
He had stopped to change a flat tyre on
There are some basics with regard the M6 near Keele, Staffs. when he
to route planning and those are was attacked and robbed of 106,000
highlighted in the list of Dos and worth of antique clocks and silverware.
Don'ts at the end of the chapter. Before Detectives believe the thieves may
we get into the meat of this chapter lets have tampered with the tyre when he
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M O B I L E S E C U R I T Y
had stopped at a service station some smashing a bar against my window, but
minutes earlier and followed his it wouldnt break. I opened my window
Citroen in a Ford Transit. He thought he about 2-3 inches and passed the
remembered seeing a similar van money through the gap, then they
parked nearby at the service station. were gone. The gang fled in the
Citroen and left the ford at the scene.
Shortly after he stopped the van pulled Mrs Williams described herself as a
up and two men got out - one punched marked woman. Earlier in the week a
him in the face knocking him down Mr Dennis McMahon was robbed of
then knelt on his chest drawing a knife 8,000 in wages when he was attacked
several times across his face. In in his car by a gang near his home in
minutes the gang were speeding away Middlesborough.
with the antiques towards Birmingham
in the van, with the plates obscured. With both the wages robberies, there
was an element of planning and the
In a separate incident a gang were gangs would have known that payrolls
equally as quick in Gwent Wales when were being carried. There have been
they attacked a Mrs Williams 57, as incidents, though of lone females in
she collected her companys payroll. expensive cars where a fake accident
She had become suspicious of a has been staged and the victims
white Citroen following her. Suddenly robbed of cash and jewels. to make
it overtook her and a Ford Capri took these robberies work the thieves need
its place. The Citroen screeched to a information, particularly for the wages
halt forcing her to brake hard, the Capri snatch. They may be getting that
ramming into her from the back. information from your business!
Although traffic built up on both sides of
the road, unsurprisingly, no one came Information Security
to help until the end of the attack. There is a golden rule about
information security and that is that if
Three men wearing light blue ski the information is important and you
masks and armed with a crowbar and think it is secret then you must also still
truncheon then approached her. She believe in the tooth fairy. Someone,
described how three men jumped out, somewhere will have told others about
one stood in front of her car, one by the your payroll run, even if in all
passenger door window and a third by innocence. You must plan your travel
the drivers window. The third man kept on these occasions on the basis that
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M O B I L E S E C U R I T Y
That having been said we can now changing into third to pace my
concentrate on the wider risks of approach to the lights and looking
travel. This is not a book about safe ahead I see two cars stopped at the
driving, but if we do not touch on this lights. My speed is now 20 and I am
then we are ignoring the most still slowing with the gears and moving
fundamental contributor to personal down into second, to my sides are
injury and death - road accidents. parked vehicles and a few pedestrians
Before we look at some driving issues who show no intention of crossing the
in relation to our security from attack, road. Looking ahead I see a group of
assault, robbery, we need to see how youths waiting to cross at the lights
we drive. The better we drive, the and looking behind I see a car coming
better we should be able to avoid up at speed which will box me in if I
violent incidents, however the remote have to stop etc etc.
the possibility may be.
The important thing here is that the
Commentary Driving commentary work has created
What is primarily required is to apply enough awareness to make you think
the awareness training we have about pacing your approach to the
highlighted in Chapter 2. I adapted lights so that they just change as you
commentary driving training for use in get to them and you are not stopped
the street and elsewhere, so lets and boxed in, so making yourself
export it back to where it came from - helpless should the youths turn out to
the car. Commentary driving is the be a threat. A vehicles security is best
verbal articulation of what we observe when you are able to go somewhere in
is happening in our environment it, that is move. All other times, when
when we are driving and that you are stopped, it is a security risk.
encompasses a complete 360 Any sequence you use to create a
degrees, in a logical and methodical pattern of commentary is OK, but
way. That environment includes also AHEAD, BEHIND, INSIDE, SIDES,
the interior of the vehicle, e.g. - the is a good working way of creating the
gear we are in, the speed we are full 360 degrees. This way you have a
doing, revs., oil pressure, and what we sequence which conditions you to
are intending to do e.g. approaching move from looking ahead, to behind, to
traffic lights on red at approx the vehicle state from your instruments
200meters, I intend to slow down using and gear position and then both sides
the gears, now checking the mirror and and back to ahead. Commentary work
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M O B I L E S E C U R I T Y
is often referred to as Read Ahead then tell you the appropriate time to
driving. The better you get the further sound the horn.
ahead you will start to analyse what
it is you are approaching. More Be selective - on a busy road with
importantly you articulate the process many vehicles and pedestrians there is
by which you are forming decisions too much happening for you to
about what to do as the journey describe everything - so you must
unfolds. select items which have potential to
cause you problems . This may be one
What you can do the next time you car in a line of six coming towards you
drive is to try it yourself, but dont do it who gives off all the signals of
during a rush hour period, otherwise impatience to overtake i.e. a sports
you will overload the system-i.e. you! car. As you approach trucks and
Try it during a quiet period and see buses, look underneath the front to see
how you cope. Commit yourself to do it feet- this may be the only piece of
the whole journey, but dont pick a someone's anatomy you see before
journey that is 200 miles - pick one the rest of their anatomy ends up on
that will last some 10 minutes at first. your bonnet. You must learn to do this
You will also want to do it when you are some distance away as the closer you
on your own - simply due to the high get the less inter-visibility you have
embarrassment factor. You will quickly underneath. Commentary driving and
understand how difficult it is - one, to commentary walking for that matter
be methodical and two, to decide what solve the problem of looking, but not
is important data to highlight in your seeing.
dialogue and what is not. Lets take
pedestrians - ten pedestrians who As an objective aid to better sight you
are walking toward you on the may need to be more conscious as to
pavement, some ten feet from the how you position the car. Remember
kerb, probably need no commentary youve paid to be on the road so use it.
reference. In contrast, one pedestrian This book is not the place to teach
who is walking with his back to advanced driving skills, but without
you and whose direction would seem weaving all over the place you can
to be toward the kerb needs reference probably make better use of
to as he or she could have the positioning to make prior observation
potential to step off the kerb into your of potential risks happen sooner. Read
path without looking and intuition will Ahead commentary doesnt mean that
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by someone else. To get these it may trol not to get boxed in. To prevent
be that their plans are based on your this you need room to be able to move
vulnerability whilst you are on the road. and you know that the car behind will
You may not though have to qualify close up to you within a few inches. It
as wealthy to have your window or is therefore up to you to not similarly
windscreen smashed or your door close up to the car in front. If you can-
pulled open whilst you are stopped not see the very
at lights, to have your purse,
briefcase, shopping or mobile
phone snatched and you
punched and manhandled. You
should also have seen it coming.
If, however, you are effectively
blind due to being mentally else-
where as you approach the
lights, you will not have seen the
two unsavoury characters by the
kerbside.
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bottom of the tyres of the car in front you may need to make a decision
you are too close and will be unable to to run the lights - if you do take
move away. great care and do it slowly.
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Never accept a lift from a man on his They did not know that the boxes were
own and certainly not one who has connected directly to Greater
other male companions. Manchester Police.
NB Many women when interviewed by
police in the north of England believed Some more Dos & Don'ts
Be prepared to
crash - at slow speed
- if kidnapped in a
public area.
If forced to go
somewhere act
SOONER rather than
LATER.
If someone or some-
thing is blocking your
way, stop well before
the obstruction to
This looks innocent enough and you may be tempted to stop and assess how you can
help. Things, however, may not be as they seem and certainly if you
are a lone female, dont. safely drive out of the
the phone boxes on Motorways were situation without putting your personal
only for those people who were safety at risk
members of motoring organisations. If it appears to be a road accident or
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breakdown it may be safer and more your vehicle has a problem. Even if
practical to drive to the nearest safe you feel it is genuine drive to the next
parking spot and phone. petrol forecourt.
If you think you are being followed -
stay calm and in control of your Carjacking
vehicle. Do not let yourself be forced This is not a prevalent crime in the UK,
off the road. but there have been incidents and in
Alert other drivers by flashing your the States it is growing. In some
lights and sounding your horn. African countries like Kenya it has
If necessary keep driving until you reached epidemic proportions. The
can get help. Head for a busy, well lit following are some aspects of the
area with people. Obviously an open problem:
police stn, fire stn, hospital A & E. 1. Carjacking is an easy theft method,
Avoid leading a following vehicle to particularly with the sophistication of
your own home even if you do not live todays alarms.
alone. 2. What is the carjacker looking for -
If you are followed home lock all Nice car maybe.
doors and attract attention with the Vehicle is stopped and isolated.
horn or car alarm. Occupant(s) are no threat.
Dont be forced to stop by someone He will need an area of concealment
in another vehicle who trys to indicate if he is to wait for your return.
Unlocked door or
fully open window-
doors locked at all
times and when
stopped open only
2.
He needs an
escape probability -
his best time is when
a person is entering
or leaving the
vehicle.
3. Typical approach
This is just asking for trouble, but its easy to forget what you should scenarios.
be doing, particularly at those familiar times you feel safe and secure.
Tap from rear.
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C H A P T E R E I G H T
Security at Work
W
office or our who are unable to influence change.
place of work
we should The general Office Security
rightly assume Procedures that affect all our safety
that we are revolve around the following areas;
safe. However, these days, there are Parking Areas.
just too many incidents of assault by Company visitors.
customers, robbers, co-workers and Isolated areas.
unknowns for us to be in any way Locking doors and access control.
complacent. As a consultant I lecture Toilets in public areas.
on the Recognition and Resolution of Personal items.
Conflict in the workplace as well as Reporting suspicious activity.
delivering programmes on how to
provide a safe and secure working If we are simply employees with little or
environment. The following are extracts no influence over these matters then
from these various programmes which we must make the best of what might
are applicable to what way comprise be a poor and unsafe working environ-
the bulk of this readership. Many of the ment. It might be that the company you
programmes I deliver, and advice I work for are one of multiple tenants in
give, are to the senior directors of large complex with little influence to
businesses and centre on how they affect improvements by the landlords. If
can best change the working environ- you are reading this and are in a
ment. Much of that advice I have position to make some improvements,
excluded from the book as it is not all to the good.
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However, if the door is closed and locked behind you and your office keys are in t
he bottom of your bag, youre in big trouble. When you make a transition from a safe
environment to the outside, make sure you can get back in quickly if the risk
dictates.
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Employment related
does not just mean
occurring in the work-
place and for example
an attack on a shop
assistant in the street
following an incident
in the shop is work
related. In the UK we
have had incidents of
hostage taking of
senior personnel and
Avoid isolated, rear stairwells and certainly dont go any further if
this is what you see. their familys to extort
compliance for robbery.
Barriers for protection/signal
capability - a silent alarm should be
at the reception.
4. General
Never leave keys, wallet or valuables
in coat pockets.
Never leave, the above on or in an
unlocked desk.
All empty office locations, cabinets,
should be locked when not in use.
Secretaries desks should be placed
so that they can observe all activity
entering and leaving the office area.
Workplace Violence
The UKs Health & Safety Executive
Dont get in - would be the advice, but you
(HSE) - defines violence to staff as: must judge the situation at the time. Dont let
bravado be an element in the decision-making
any incident in which an employee is process.
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send out provocative and dismissive routes and keep yourself between the
signals. Its what we used to refer in aggressor and the door.
some children as dumb insolence. Never turn your back ! If you are
keep your distance and avoid looking leaving move gradually backwards and
down figuratively at your aggressor. allow the person to go first and invite
never touch someone who is angry the direction in which you wish them
as it could be taken as an aggressive to go.
move, which in turn could lead to a Never remain alone with an actively
charge of assault. violent person. Be prepared to move
quickly if necessary.
A person on the brink of physical If you manage to calm the situation
aggression has 3 possible choices- gradually reestablish contact, Take
To Attack care with your words and actions
To Retreat making a cautious approach. Consider
To Comprise the situation carefully before denying
You need to guide them to the 2/3 any further requests from the
option. Encourage the person to move aggressor to prevent any further
towards a more open area of the office potential violence.
reception or store where you will Definition - Violent Behaviour is the
be seen by other staff. Often a Malicious Threat Of Words, Actions or
compromise such as talking through Conduct or The Application Of Force to
the problem &/or talking to another Another Without Consent.
member of staff.
If the threat of violence is imminent Rarely does violence flare up out of
avoid potentially dangerous locations nowhere in the work environment.
such as stairs, restricted spaces, or The majority of situations grow and
places where there is equipment develop some slowly and some more
which could be picked up and used as quickly. Tensions build up, temperature
a weapon and isolated areas in your of events gets hotter, until just
store or office. below boiling point. Then it only
Try to brainstorm potentially danger- takes a small thing to set off what
ous areas within your work seems a gross over-reaction. There
environment. is always the opportunity to intercept
Getting the person to sit down may the process and reduce the heat of
help reduce the aggression level. the event. Defuse anger as early as
Keep your eyes on potential escape possible - always be able to recognise
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your own degree of anger. There are In a work context physical contact is
always, however those situations that failure! Thumping a client is a
cannot be defused then - reasonable indication that
The Priority Is To Stay Safe! something has gone astray in the
interpersonal relationship. Also
Recognise the verbal and non-verbal physical defence isnt like it was when
signals along the way such as: you practised it in class and it must be
Ritualistic Repetition and avoided. You must be aware at all
De-Personalising Language times of how your body language may
Early warning signs:- exacerbate the situation.
Noisy, banging and voluble entry. Walk away from real danger and
Restless, agitated and anxious defend yourself only when absolutely
behaviour. necessary.
Eyeballing, fixed stare or the reverse Remember meeting aggression with
avoiding eye contact. aggression only leads to increased
Talking out loud & complaining to confrontation. In a work environment,
others e.g. patients in the waiting or anywhere for that matter your
room. primary concern should be to get
Leaning over the counter or desk, away. For many workers who end up in
invading your space. violent situations there is the feeling
Tapping fingers. that if somehow they have caused it to
Voluble sigh of impatience or happen they must see it through and
frustration. solve it. Someone bent on violence will
Any signs of possible unpredictable not be deterred. More to the point he
behaviour e.g. - alcohol (smell), will feed off you to fuel his necessity
unsteady gait, bad language. to get angry so as to be able to
perpetrate what he has in mind.
In your work environment you should
know potential triggers of violence It helps to know your environment so
This could be in a:- always be AWARE, ALERT, & AVOID
Nursing situation. trouble.
A tax officer.
A policeman.. Skills you need to deal with aggres-
A bank assistant. sive behaviour:-
A rent collector. Improved verbal communications
Etc. skills.
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Use of body language to improve shows little empathy for their prob-
communications - as we have high- lems. Those students of Transactional
lighted above. Analysis will recognise this as the
Awareness of potentially difficult parent talking to the child which only
behaviours. serves to infuriate. This approach is
Assertiveness skills. likely to achieve an adverse reaction.
Improved confidence.
Identifying & managing stress. Ask; Questions achieve a number of
Dont ignore bad behaviour. Dont on things.
the other hand rush in where angels Whilst waiting for a reply you have
fear to tread. If you do nothing, time to think and plan your next move
however, it will continue to become the or question.
normal way to behave - Doing nothing The antagonist has to stop his or her
is not an option! tirade to think which may reduce the
temperature.
Dealing with violence Asking questions also means the
Self; Following a personal agenda in other person has options which dont
a confrontational situation can mean back them into a corner. If you back
getting angry oneself, feeling intimidat- someone into a corner with tall walls,
ed and upset. When this happens you to get out they only have one way to go
cannot but help take things personally and thats through you. By questioning
which leads to a loss of control and you give them some equal part in the
makes things worse. The you cant discussion, you seem concerned and
talk to me like that syndrome. they have a back door through which
they can leave without losing face.
Structured; By following, however, a The result is that you should manage
set corporate agenda in a detached to stay in control without taking power
professional way you avoid getting and status from the other person.
emotionally involved and therefore
taking things personally. The result Body Language
means you can keep control, keep Substantial communication goes on at
asking questions, listen to answers a non-verbal level. The complex
and offer alternates to the problem. subject of body language is discussed
in some detail in Chapter 13. Also you
Tell; Wanting always to tell someone should be familiar with some of the
what to do, without prior questioning communication systems such as
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same to everyone when the stress hits are hurt, when in reality what we feel is
home. only annoyance - dont rise to the
You have 4 options which you can occasion.
employ. These are:- Be Succinct
Talk Refer to one particular problem at
Summon Help a time and sort that out first - dont be
Accede (comply) sidetracked.
Physical Action Deal with the incident as soon as
The above are dynamic in that at any possible - people kept waiting can boil
moment the best option may change over and the passing of time can
depending on the reaction you get. distort memory.
Repeat the message if neces-
Talk sary.
Two alternatives present themselves Be Precise
when we look at how to talk to an Sort out what you want to say
aggressor and neither should be beforehand & keep it short - allow the
considered mutually exclusive. You other person to answer or discuss it
can mix & match the two approaches before you move on.
which are:- Be Positive
Assertive In what you say and the way you
Calm, reasoning, dissuasive say it.
To be assertive you should address the Give alternatives what I would
following:- like to happen is ___.
Be Clear we will only
In what you say and in what you continue if you stop swearing and
do. shouting.
Know what you wish to achieve.
Monitor your own anger. Be Correct
Who do you feel this towards.? Without being blase remind your-
How angry do you feel? self that you have a right to express
About what exactly do you feel yourself, but in an adult way, dont fall
angry? into the Parent/Child mode.
Be Honest In Summary
With yourself and others. LOOK IN CONTROL
Identify the feeling you have - SOUND IN CONTROL
sometimes we are acting as though we & YOU WILL FEEL IN CONTROL
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The calm, reasoning, dissuasive can involve a superior you are giving
approach, takes skill and judgment so the impression that the matter is being
as not to sound patronising.You can dealt with as important. You will find in
affirm to them how angry and upset most work environments that it will be
they are and then ask questions impossible to accede to the request
designed to allow them to see your being made, as this is likely to be
predicament in the affair whilst at unreasonable and outside your
the same time reducing their own mandate to agree, so the reasoning,
temperature in the matter. We are dissuasive approach is probably all
talking about empathising with their you have.
problem and not sympathising. If
you sympathise you have simply Calming someone down is a process.
acknowledged that only they have a It is unlikely to happen with just one
point and they may, in fact, be in the thing you say, but over a period
wrong. Empathise with their emotional you may be able to reduce the
state not with the problem if you know temperature. The goal is to bring the
them to have misunderstood matters. person in front of you back to being a
rational human being. Only when they
If you are able to create more physical are back in this state do you truly
barriers between customers and staff have communication. You have to
all well and good. I am not of the de-escalate the temperature build up
school of thought that it is better, from which itself has taken time.
a customer relationship point of view
to, achieve a removal of the separation Physical Attack
of environments. A physical barrier The last resort! For most people in a
which provides safety from aggression working environment you should
does not mean an automatic concentrate on the psychology of
diminution in customer relations. relationships rather than a few hours of
bag work each week, but what you
From talk you have to decide on should know are probably some
whether the situation has deteriorated breakaway techniques which we touch
to require assistance i.e Summon on in Chapter 14.
Help. Dont see this as a copout.
There is safety in numbers and you
may have slipped into a personal
agenda and are getting angry. If you
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C H A P T E R N I N E
F
Fear is not something we something threatening than looking for
ever care to admit to or anxiety in others. Often we can use
talk about, but fear is fear as a source of information. If the
essential to survival. Fear hairs on the back of our necks stand
is a natural self defence up, look around you because it is a
mechanism, in-built into the human natural indicator of things maybe not
organism. Without it man would have being as they should. As you walk
survived in this world only four minutes, home late at night down a lonely, dark
not the four million years we have country lane (a thing, by the way you
supposedly walked the earth. actually shouldnt be doing) you will
usually experience the effects of
Without fear we would simply put trepidation which we use as a lesser
ourselves in situations of dire term to describe the feelings of being
consequence and do things which fearful.
would cause us harm. We dont attempt
to climb a vertical rock face, in winter, The planned and calculated use of
with no equipment and no ropes. violence to create fear, is a weapon of
the criminal. Anger and rage are also
If you have no fear, you essentially powerful human emotions which can
have no regard for consequences. also motivate a violent assault. This
Without fear the sabre toothed tiger threat of violence or violence itself,
was something you might have thought causes fear and fear is another
about stroking, not poking in the eye powerful emotion which can adversely
with a sharp stick. effect our ability to act. Dealing with
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fear in a negative way can have tragic knows it will cause panic, diminish
results. It is the emotion of fear that resolve, make you feel helpless and off
causes people to puff up due to balance so prevent your mind from
insecurity and often leads to physical functioning. He knows - Fear Freezes
violence. As a citizen or police officer The Mind. This is the negative aspect
you must understand that at times you of fear and it is the aspect of fear that,
may be afraid. There is nothing wrong if youll pardon the expression, we fear
with fear and it has been said that the most.
courage is understanding you are
afraid yet still operating effectively. We are all, unfortunately, given
unequal amounts of tolerance to fear in
Fear makes us act in rational ways by general and fear of specifics. The latter
preventing us doing stupid things, at can become phobias such as a fear of
least some of the time. Often though, spiders, heights, going out, people,
because a person is blind to the enclosed spaces etc. To many of us
potential dangers in adopting a certain such fears seem groundless, but to
course of action, the fear response those who are afflicted they are life and
never gets a chance to work. It is death issues. Few people are immune,
necessary to have fore knowledge that however, to the fear of violent assault -
there are dangers in adopting a certain big or small, strong or weak, physically
course of action for our natural fear skilled or not - when faced with
responses to come into play. Until you aggression and the threat of violence
see someone dragged from their car at the best go weak at the knees.
traffic lights and beaten you probably
never locked your door when you got in If you want to get a book on how to
your car. handle fear in general then you can do
no better than buy Geoff Thompson's
Fear As Negative - Fear. It is the only book I know which
Fear, though would always seem to tackles clearly the sensitive issues of
have far more negative connotations the subject properly. In this chapter I
than positive and I would agree that am concerned at getting an
unless fear is managed it can be understanding about how fear can
devastating when it comes to action debilitate us and how we can come to
and staying in control. An attacker terms with the problem, when we face
uses your fear and surprise to create violent or confrontational situations.
confusion and terror inside you. He
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but often in their attempts to remain There Is Only High Risk And
innocuous to you, they do just the Unknown Risk.
opposite. Others run the ploy of being
over-friendly when they first come into Alcohol
the club, not to the point of being Alcohol and emotions dont mix. One
boisterous, but they make a point of of your first assessments to make of
talking to you in a way which is someone who is aggressive, either on
patently false. Groups of lads would the street or in a social situation, is the
split up prior to getting to the door and level to which they are drunk. You will
come in in twos. Often a pattern would rarely defuse an escalating situation
start to emerge and if you stopped two with someone who has had too much
getting in ten would leave, who had to drink. You see policemen attempting
already managed to get in in pairs. If this all the time, often with little or no
you didn't see the pattern and it effect. Peoples emotional responses
eventually kicked off with one or two are heightened with alcohol and
of them you could pay for your lack of they become more reactionary,
intuitive skills earlier. argumentative, fixated on one subject
and aggression is never very far from
I learned to people watch, during the surface. When faced with someone
those years and I also learned to who has been drinking be prepared to
accept no one at face value. Some of act sooner than otherwise.
the worst incidents I remember
occurred with the most unlikely, Dont fool yourself into thinking you are
insignificant individuals, who, when in control- you arent. What they agree
they kicked off, almost went berserk - to one minute, they will go back on the
men and women. This taught me to next. Alcohol dulls many of the
never let my mental guard down emotions, fear not being the least of
and not to prejudge how someone them. A person who would be reticent
would react to what you had to say. about getting into a fight when sober is
There was no common pattern as to not so reluctant when drunk - Dutch
how a person would react to being courage. Alcohol also amplifies other
asked to leave the club, the ones you character traits such as aggression
expected trouble with went like chil- and in university students - stupidity!
dren and others ended up requiring and we often say the true character of
four or five people to tie them up and someone comes out when they are
put them out. drunk and I can agree with that when it
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comes to aggression. Drunks are also need him close and I wont achieve
far more prepared to go along with the that if I am aggressive. The more
crowd and be encouraged to violence. aggressive you are the more cautious
a person gets and the more prepared
My general plan of action when facing they are to react if you strike. Also you
aggressive drunks is, in the first force them to use more subterfuge in
instance, to try a humourous their efforts to attack you by surprise
approach. When working the doors, or and the one thing a drunk usually is
in any contact environment, it is not, is subtle, so try and keep him that
essential that your first approach to the way.
problem should be to try and have a
bit of a nobble with them. Often Fear - A Barrier To Action
humour can diffuse the situation, but By far though for me, the doors taught
not always and what I learned as me about fear and its other associated
another golden rule was not to try and responses. We wrongly believe fear is
psyche out a drunk with aggression. It an emotional state that we should, in
can work well as a ploy with countless some way be able to exercise control
others, but when alcohol has numbed over. All our emotions start at a purely
the fear response, being aggressive chemical level even fear, psychologists
verbally, even if you are good at it, can tell us!.
have the opposite effect.
What does fear do. It effectively stops
Keep Up The Mask! us acting in a way which we would
Ill talk about it more in Part 2, but once wish. We would like to be able to act
you have tried to psyche someone out decisively in a conflict situation, but
with aggression and it doesnt work seem to be frozen into immobility. Fear
you have shot your bolt and makes us delay correct action and fear
forewarned them that you may now makes decision making almost
fight and are capable of being impossible.
aggressive. You have let the mask slip
and they have had a glimpse of what When we talk about people going to
you might be capable of. Your main pieces and frozen to the spot, it is
ploy at all times is never to portray at usually at times of great stress or fear.
what stage you are at emotionally, or There is no absolute state of fear. We
what you are really thinking. If I am use such words concern, trepidation,
going to take him by surprise then I nervousness, apprehension, fearful, or
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terror struck, to describe the range of what was required to allow correct
emotional states. All are the product of action, at the correct time.
us facing or knowing we are going to
be facing an aggressive, or unknown What we are coming to now is the real
situation which contains within it risk. hub of self defence and that is
preemption. I have too much
A policeman who makes a stop either experience now to be taken in by those
on foot or in a car, does so with many people who believe and teach passive
unknowns and on occasions, the result inactivity and then to resort to blocks
can be extremely violent as we have and counters. They are to a man,
described elsewhere, but as he people who have no practical
concludes to make the stop his emo- experience and who because of that,
tional state alters. My greatest gains do not factor fear into the equation and
from working the doors were that I its debilitating effects. What I found in
learned to act under fear and stress my early days on the door was that
i.e. do something and keep even when I knew a situation was
functioning, in the knowledge that I going inevitably to end in a physical
was more capable than them when it confrontation I left it too long to act and
came to the physical side, but more on occasions nearly paid a high price.
importantly that it would be me who
would stay in control and make it However, we all recognise the situation
happen on my terms not theirs. where, with the best management of
your environment, you end up facing
The Key To Fear Control off with someone who is going to rip
By far and away though my greatest your face off - or so he tells you. In
success was coming to the realisation such circumstances, where escape
that by separating two complimentary has been impossible, the best you can
effects which happened to me in hope for is that your awareness has
confrontations, I was able to master meant youve seen it coming. The
myself.This was to distinguish the overt looks, the obvious reference hes
emotional effects of FEAR from the making about you to his mates the
chemical responses of ADRENALIN pointing, head nodding, are all signals
and associated chemical releases. It that send your Adrenal response into
took me a good few years before the overdrive and your fear quotient off the
penny dropped, but when it did I had meter.
found the key. The key I had found was
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This is an appropriate moment to dwell out of the mouth, increased heart rate
on these two reactions - fear and and, despite the fact that more blood is
adrenalin. The latter is a generalised sent to the musculature and the blood
and common term for the chemical sugar level is increased for greater
response and release - over which we effort, you actually start to feel weak.
have very little control - when we are The moment, however, your
faced with stress, shock and fear. opponent starts to walk towards you
with his mates, you get what we
The Chemical Cocktail describe as the adrenal dump - this is
The more immediate the incident, the the huge release of adrenalin and is
more immediate is the release of your major assistance for action.
adrenal hormones. To be precise, it is Unfortunately, there still isnt any
Epinephrene and Norepinephrine, action - you cant run and as yet, you
Dopamine and Cortisol which are cant fight because they are still 12 - 15
released into the bloodstream and act feet away and coming towards you
as the booster fuel for flight or fight with, as yet, no clear intention as to
and the release is unavoidable. violence, but weve all been there
Adrenalin can, however, be released before and know how things will turn. If
over a long period and in this instance, you are a policeman you cant attack,
it becomes your enemy, not your but must endeavour to control the
friend. The incident in the bar, or situation with your authority.
nightclub, where you perceive that you
are the focus of attention and the Verbal Martial Arts
intended target of all the visual signs Even when they get to you, there still
described above is one where your wont be any immediate action, rather,
adrenal glands will be releasing there will be a period of usually banal,
chemicals over a long period. A police- meaningless, threatening, belligerent
man called to an incident where there and demoralising dialogue. When we
is violence has, during his journey to look later at the section on Ranges
the incident adrenal releases, possibly and Tools, well see that verbal skills
over many minutes, but it remains in for this part of the process are as much
the system unused. a combative skill as kicking and
punching. Whilst all this is going on,
You will physically sense this happen- you are still rooted to the spot with all
ing and its attended by a heightened this unused adrenalin rushing round
awareness and nervousness, drying your system and by now, the physical
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aspects you feel and exhibit are those Adrenaline (Epinephrine - USA)
commonly associated with the clinical The hormone that increases the heart
symptoms of mild shock - in particular rate, air supply to the lungs and blood
Vaso Vagal shock, which is that supply to the muscles, also promotes
associated with psychological the supply of glucose into the blood for
difficulties. Your blood is now being immediate energy. In effect it prepares
drawn to your core, away from the the mind and body for immediate
musculature and you definitely begin action and help it to counter some of
to feel weak and ineffective. Your the effects of fear, stress or violent
pallor is going grey and you can start exercise.
to feel detached. This is the very The adrenal or suparenal glands are
dangerous disassociation which situated above the kidney. The adrenal
seems to separate you from your cortex produces steroid hormones
surroundings and events - it is a highly and the adrenal medulla produces
dangerous state as it encompasses adrenaline. Both adrenal and
tunnel vision and a very submissive corticosteroid hormones are secreted
feeling - you feel it may be better directly into the bloodstream.
simply to give in. The activity of the gland and
sympathetic nerves normally increas-
This is the time when we start to feel es in response to stress as generated
small and all the opponents look by powerful emotions such as anger
big - we start to feel impotent and and fear etc.
opponents seem to display untold
depths of aggression - we start to Endorphins
feel unskilled and opponents look Described as natural painkillers which
like seasoned professional boxers are produced by the body. Endorphins
and street fighters, who have only are produced at times of stress such
been deprived of a shot at the as trauma and also during strenuous
world heavyweight title by dint of exercise e.g. fighting and even running
certifiable, homicidal insanity. And all a marathon. Opium drugs such as
this before a fight you are just about Morphine have a similar chemical
to win! Lets look in some technical structure to that of endorphins.
detail at the constituents of the
Chemical Cocktail. Dopamine & Norepinephrine
A chemical formed from an amino acid
called Tyrosine that in turn helps to
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with 3 scum in front of you who all stress differs from person to person
have a face like a robbers dog, youll and the following are some of the
probably feel none of those things. As factors which have a part to play:
a consequence, you will need to The size and physical condition of the
develop the ACTION TRIGGERS we individual.
will look at in the next Chapter 13 The individual state of mental
alertness and the ability to handle
Get angry - anger can suppress fear stress.
and can be born out of fear. Believe it Experience - the training and
can happen i.e. expectation and get in motivation of the individual. And with a
the mind set to always fight back. This police officer the unit or team morale.
is conditioning yourself to not getting The actual circumstances of the
on the back foot. assault - post traumatic physical and
mental stress.
Inaction
I knew, when working the doors, that Remember the stress related effects
I was leaving it too late and if I 1. The Denial
separated the mass of emotions 2. Inability to make decisions
I could trace it to the following: 3. Loss of judgmental power
FEAR 4. Lack of commitment
CHEMICAL RESPONSES What if.... What if.... What
CONSEQUENCES & DENIAL if.......What if........ What If.......
DECISION MAKING (Lack of under
stress)
CONFIDENCE & COMMITMENT
(Lack of under fear)
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are in the world consequences and mental log jams
you should disable decision making at the wrong
make yourself time and being unsure as to whether
aware of the you can strike, or strike preemptively or
Law of that not, is the last thing you want to have
country as it relates to defending on your mind at that time.
oneself. As a professional Bodyguard I
cannot afford not to know my rights in This section of the book will deal with
the geography where I am working, the law as it relates to the UK, but
that relate to my ability to protect both certainly in Europe it has been my
myself and others. A word of caution experience that, broadly, matters of the
though, knowing what the law states is law and self defence are the same as
not the same as feeling secure in here. That having been said I
relying on it. As a foreigner and a questioned some Dutch Police officers
western foreigner your chances of that who were helping me with another mat-
countrys laws being on your side are ter about the law in Holland, as it
nil and you should know that hit and related to preemptive strikes and all
run will be your only option -dont stop three could not agree on the legality of
for the de-brief. such action. The law in the UK says
that a person charged with a crime may
However without this knowledge we plead that he acted to protect himself,
can have no strategy of defence and or his property, or others from attack or
no clear idea as to our recourse under to prevent a crime. This is, strictly
the Law in times of threat and danger. speaking, not a defence, but a
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justification for the defensive conduct this chapter as they relate to self
which, if successfully pleaded, makes defence.
the conduct lawful. The second area of law in England and
Wales is Statute Law, which includes
The present legal system in England all the laws made by direct order of the
and Wales traces its origins back to the State and set out in Acts Of Parliament
twelfth century and the subsequent (statutes) or subordinate legislation
expansion of institutions following the made under the authority of these acts.
conquest of England by the William, Many offences which were originally
Duke of Normandy in 1066. Unlike Common Law offences have been
Europe, where countries based their dealt with by an Act of Parliament.
Law on the codified Roman system, However, an offence can be both a
English common law developed quite common law and a statutory offence,
uniquely. This system was based upon although often common law offences
two principal courts, the Commons are abolished by statute.
Bench and the Kings Bench. As the
system de-centralised there arose in In the UK we have to look at both the
the regions the major court of common Common Law and the Statute books
law (the assizes) which survived up to and our first port of call is the Criminal
1972 with the advent of the Crown Law Act 1967 Sect 3 (1) - this states -
Court. Any person may use such force as
is reasonable in the circumstances
The law in England and Wales is in the prevention of crime, or in
divided into two, the Common Law, effecting or assisting in the arrest of
which is made up of general customs offenders or suspected offenders
which have been regarded as laws in unlawfully at large. Sect 3 (2) -
the land from time immemorial. The concerned itself by repealing the
Common Law develops from the common law powers which conveyed
decisions of the higher courts. Certain the use of force etc in defence of ones
rules of conduct have by custom property, family etc which was classed
become laws and offences under these as an Excuse for Crime. We see
laws are termed common law written here most of the subjective
offences. A substantial proportion of aspect of the whole matter and that
Common Law is termed Case Law, is the phrase reasonable in the
built up from historical precedents and circumstances. To whom?, from what
we will look at some significant cases in perspective? and under what condi-
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pleaded self-defence. The then Home those legal cases which have gone
Secretary said after the Elliot case that before and which judgments have
he would review, but as yet we are still determined case precedent from which
waiting and scum like Elliott are free to we can gain some moral support.
use the law as an excuse even for
murder. He had a previous criminal Self Defence
record and has subsequently been R v Beckford 1988 (AC 130)
arrested for carrying an axe in public. Where Lord Griffith in applying the
It wasnt the first and it probably wont use of force to the question of self
be the last such case and the murder defence said -
of the undercover policeman in the The common Law has always
Brinks Mat case is another example of recognised as one of these
the lack of true justice in the plea of circumstances the right of a person
some of self defence. to protect himself from attack and to
act in self defence of others if
Essentially what we need to be able to necessary to inflict violence on
convince others is that we had an another in doing so. If no more
honestly held belief that the use of force is used than is reasonable to
force we found necessary to apply repel the attack, such force is not
to protect ourselves or others unlawful and no crime is committed.
from harm, was reasonable and Furthermore, a man about to be
necessary to avert that danger. attacked does not have to wait for
This was essentially the old, unwritten his assailant to strike the first blow
common law. But, how when the or fire the first shot, circumstances
stress, fear and uncertainty of the may justify a preemptive strike.
event grips us can we precisely and Neither does he, or she have to
instantly determine the niceties of how retreat before using force.
much force to use. Many times on the
door I tried to measure impact, only to Continuous Link
find it had been woefully inadequate to Remember that there must always be
subdue the attack. Your life may be on a continuous link in the actions of the
the line and the array of pressures you offender and your necessary and
face mean fine judgment is not always reasonable defence. Should you have
possible. To help us better understand occasion to physically defend yourself
where we stand with regard to the law and you reasonably put the other
in these matters we need to look at person down - you cannot put one in
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his colleagues without having time So the interpretation of the above case
to assess the situation in the light of is that Thus while it will be a
the knowledge of Police regulations question of fact in each case,
relating to the use of riot guns and depending on the particular
without having time to balance the circumstances, any Police
nature of the injury which might be officer/member of the public who
caused to the deceased against the strikes a person in order to protect
nature of the injury which might be him or herself or another will only
caused to one or other of the two be justified in doing so if they have
Police officers. a GENUINE BELIEF that there is an
imminent danger which justifies the
What is so important about the above force being used if the force is
judgment is that it accepts that a reasonable on the basis of that
judgment made to act, in a split second belief.
as a reaction to escalating events in a Sometimes, however, mistakes can be
dangerous circumstance, does not made, particularly in stressful and
contain within it the possibility to take fearful circumstances where judgment
into account the very broad range of is impaired, given that judgment is
other factors involved, consequences arrived at almost instantaneously -
not being the least of them. In the
above case it was weighing action Honest Belief/Mistakes as to Facts
against mandated rules of R V Williams 1984 (78 CAR 276)
engagement with that particular Lord Lane, Lord Chief Justice -
weapon. All regulations were In a case of self defence, where
breached, but even though such self defence or the prevention of
regulations are constructed to be crime is concerned, if the jury come
reasonable in most circumstances, to the conclusion that the defendant
quite clearly the imminence of danger believed, or may have believed that
alters, very much, the definition of he was being attacked or that a
reasonable and there is only one crime was being committed and
person at that moment who is able to that force was necessary to protect
make any judgment on reasonable himself or to prevent the crime, then
and necessary in the circumstances the prosecution have not proved the
and that is the person who must act to case.
defend him or herself. If however, the defendants alleged
belief was mistaken and if the
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the peace refrain from doing so. All the above may seem as dry as
These steps must include the use of dust, but knowing it may mean the
reasonable force. Once again what difference between acting in an
force is reasonable will depend on the unreasonable way and facing the
particular circumstances. consequences or, knowing that when
you are in imminent danger, the law of
Breach of The Peace Must Be the land is on your side, in your
Imminent. reasonable, defensive actions, given
the circumstances.
Moss V McLaughlan 1985
(149JP 167 ) You must take the confusion out of
Provided they honestly and reason- self defence. It exists where you
ably form the opinion that there is a are unclear about the law and its
real risk of a breach of the peace, in implications.
the sense that it is in close proximity
both in place and time , then the Knowing how you stand in relation to
conditions exist for reasonable, the law should mean you remove
preventative action. another aspect of confusion at a time
when your safety or others is at risk.
If, therefore you are present and The law is not a mandate to strike first
protecting your property you should in all circumstances regardless of
explain that you are either - consequences and, hopefully, I have
preventing a Breach of The sufficiently emphasised enough times
Peace i.e. owner present or that when we talk about pre-emptive
preventing a crime (see Sect 3 action that we are talking about in
Criminal Justice Act) extremis circumstances and the
inevitably of immediate harm.
In most cases where damage is
imminent your first step will usually be My percentage of pre-emptive strikes
to issue a warning first. The use of on the door was in a ratio of one in sev-
actual force would depend on the eral hundred of incidents which had
probable extent of the damage that been resolved by means of humour,
may occur and whether you can have man management, and good dialogue.
time to warn, or reasonably believe a But, on those occasions when it had to
warning would be ignored. happen, there was no other option
available, other than to wait until the
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TEETH - to attack nose, cheek or neck only because they are protecting
(jugular vein). people of importance and the
The manual after this included a note: backside covering will necessarily
In view of the diseases which are have to be less if they seriously injure
known to be blood transferred, the an attacker when protecting the Prime
teeth should only be used as an Minister say. For the rest of us and that
absolutely last ditch method of includes the bobby on the beat we will
obtaining release. The manual also never enjoy such license. For doormen
talks about striking through the target in the UK police guidelines are far less
and about dispersing all the force open than those to the Mets BG wing.
into the target area. One such training document from a
particular authority has a page headed
Its interesting to note that the only Minimum Force and amongst a range
caveat on biting was in relation to the of sound advice it throws in- You
problems of transferring diseases, not cannot justify injuries caused by
the injuries that may be suffered. My punching or kicking, particularly to the
congratulations go out to the officer head or neck. It must be sound advice
who wrote the instructions because he for a number of reasons, many of
knows the reality of dealing with a which we have covered in this book
vicious assault and he knows the law. not to punch and certainly not to kick to
He knows that if occasion demands, the head, but it is wrong to say that
the head, teeth, elbows, feet are all You cannot justify... such actions. Any
legitimate weapons if they are all that police authority, if it is involved in the
is left to possibly save your life or Door Supervisors licensing schemes
prevent serious injury - good! must endeavour to restrict force
options, particularly as any court will
The author also knows that when view a doorman from a prejudiced
violence erupts there is no time viewpoint, so from a common sense
to ponder rationale, methodology, aspect, if for no other reason, other
consequences, finer aspects of the law options than punching to the head
and application of minimum force - and kicking are advisable, but if
thats why they only talk about you need them and your life is on the
maximum force because they know full line - use them!
well minimum wont cut it! This is some
of the most sound advice I have seen The same authority also set out to help
in any police manual, but I know it is so door supervisors meet levels of
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aggression with the correct force carrying out an assault which may
option and in this regard it is a useful cause serious injury or fatality.
tool, but one which must be put in
context. What has been attempted is to Impact Factors
transplant the polices own guide to An Impact Factor is anything that will
The Confrontational Continuum ie have a bearing on what level of force is
assailant actions as against force used. These factors apply to both the
options. For the doormen the Conflict subject and the door supervisor. They
Resolution Model was simply can include anything, but generally you
adopted for their use without any should take the following into consider-
modification for the particular and ation:- Gender, Age, Size, Relative
unique circumstances. It is useful for Strength, Skill? Injury, Drunk,
all of us to see how this is presented as Deranged, Multiple Aggressors,
Imminent Danger, Proximity to
it gives an insight into a certain way of
weapon/firearm, Drugged.
thinking about aggression and its
So again you can see emerge many of
control, but remember it is predicated
the factors we listed earlier in the
on the basis that you hold the
book which we should have already
authority of a policeman when dealing
computed under our reference of
with people and what you say they will, FRAME. The sooner you do this the
broadly, listen to. For doormen and the better, because when hes screaming
rest of us this is a vain hope. in your face its too late to be engaging
The first part of the model was the: in some mental balancing act to assist
Profiled Offenders Behaviour you in action. The Conflict Resolution
Depending on how your offender acts, Model concluded as follows:-
it will dictate the amount of action you
can take. These levels may escalate. Offender Action Impact Factors Response
Compliance All the factors as Conflict resolution/
1. Compliance - lowest level. Subject listed previously Tactical communi-
will comply with instructions. cation
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The model is not prescriptive, but a gang which tours from club to club
totally flexible. causing trouble, both with doormen
The doorman chooses the most and more problematically with
REASONABLE RESPONSE option innocent people simply out for a good
anywhere on the scale, assessing ALL time. Very sadly everyone knows who
available information and IMPACT they are, but are afraid to do anything.
FACTORS, moving up or down
accordingly. They will not fit the profile of the
aggressor as there is no escalation of
Quite clearly the police authority have violence simply a gratuitous act out of
simply copied across their own the blue. Only years of experience and
resolution model as Im sure if they a very subjective feeling as to the
had written a specific one for door possible extent of the danger will warn
supervisors they would have missed a doorman that he is facing a very
out the use of lethal force. dangerous situation. To any onlooker
there would be no suggestion that
On a more general front whilst the there was any danger in the situation
attempt to arm door people with such a and herein lies the problem. It is the
model is laudable it is in many cases same for all of us in the street.
unworkable. Those individuals whose Someone who has come up close to
sole objective when they go out to you, put a knife to your stomach and
clubs is to cause suffering do not fit asks your wallet with a smile on his
any of the Offender Profile. Nor can face looks to any observer like an old
many of the Impact Factors solely be friend.
objective. It is more relevant HOW a
person says something than WHAT a Remember your actions need only, in
person says. Intuition, experience, that the final analysis be reasonable to you.
feeling about someone count for more
than relative strength.
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Basic Principles
of Self Defence
ith the best will course course of action? or, may it
W
in the world cause your attacker to hurt you more.
and despite
your best Personal Make-Up
management Remember, how you conclude what is
practises to the correct, will be a decision based on
attempt to control your environment to your own personal character traits
advantage you may one day have to which we alluded to at the beginning of
fight. Although we are looking at this book. There is probably little I or
various management aspects of self anyone can do to change your mind,
defence, in other words all the wider but if you incline to believe a reasoning,
issues that are part of what I call the non- aggressive response is the only
big picture. All too often self defence answer you are probably reading the
concentrates too much on the face to wrong book. Reasoning may be the
face encounter and ignores the the place to start, but if it doesnt work
Why & How of what you are immediately then you will need to
actually doing there in the first place. resolve matters by other means.
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physical side of confrontation from words lose or give up what they want to
certain assumptions. These are that survive and not, you hope, be injured.
you have not been taken by surprise in Remember, however, that compliance
that your awareness factors were may not guarantee that they wont
sufficiently active to allow you to inflict violence and often they do, if only
perceive the onset of the problem. Also as emphasis that you should comply -
the assumption is that you are also even if you had planned to and also to
mentally prepared because you keep you off balance and frightened.
operate under the permanent umbrella The sad tale of Lisa in Chapter 6
of anticipation that an attack is a should convince you of that.
possibility, however remote. A lot to
ask, but in actuality the bottom line of Personal Choice
what your avoidance procedures Im telling you here what I know you
should achieve. should get as correct advice, although
its not what Im personally prepared to
do. Whatever I have that they want,
they will pay a very high price in their
attempt to get it. Most street attacks
rely on shock and surprise. Once thats
lost then they may break off, but even
if they press it they may not be
prepared for a battle in the street.
I have little to lose by fighting and,
possibly, a great deal by not doing.
Thats my advice to me though, not to
you the reader.
Lose to survive
Lets look at some basic principles first
Remember awareness and expectation and also address some of the dos
come together in ALERTNESS. and don'ts. Ive said it elsewhere that
something we say Dont do and
The purpose of the attack will something we say Do can, depending
determine you course of action. If its a on individual circumstances be
mugging then the lose to survive reversed, so dont simply adapt - adopt!
principle should dominate - in other
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Ladies and also men dont forget to of whats asked. Also the hostage
employ your best weapon at all times - mentality soon sets in (the longer it
your voice. What our American goes the harder it gets to act) as it is no
cousins call acoustic warfare scream longer instinctive but actions are
Rape! Help! Fire! anything, but make a thought through and decided upon,
noise. which results in no action, also the
The timid nature of the majority of better they can secure you whilst you
women and the lack of confidence in weaken physically and mentally, you
lose anger and so you
lose dynamism.
Keep your distance from
a knife and look for an
escape.
Hit & Run - Dont stay to
finish.
If we think of our bodies
as a gun with our hands
and feet as the bullets and
our mind as the
Dont make this complicated! If you can be convinced that
action beats reaction you will have a chance. trigger you will soon
realise the problem when
physical confrontations makes having you find your mind no longer works to
to resort to actual combat very difficult, your command - the guns useless.
but not impossible. The truth is that every assault
Never show your attacker a weapon. situation is unique. Effective self
Even a brolly you may
feel can be brought
into play dont tele-
graph its potential by
lifting it threateningly.
A brolly is no weapon
at all once its been
seen as going to be
used.
Act quickly - it confus-
es if you do the reverse Now run - dont try and wrap up the arm - it wont work!
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do it and cant generate impact. will look at techniques, but for the
Teaching combinations is all about moment we need to stay with some
fighting. broad concepts of combat. It isnt
- Dont get over-excited - you will actually the techniques which win the
be frightened to death, never mind day its whats behind them that count.
over-excited The techniques are just the tip of the
- Any boxer will tell you it is better to iceberg and to use an analogy - it
counter-attack than attack - true, wasnt what they could see of the
because boxing is a point scoring sport iceberg that sank the Titanic, rather it
which is held over ten rounds. was the large mass which went
- Clinch if you are hit with a stunner, unseen below the waves. My
you are simply a target if you stand approach to this has been through my
there - you probably were just own development of FRAME:
standing there, because you had
accepted the advice to wait and F actors
counter-attack! R ange
A ssessment
I hate being critical (no I dont), but the M ethod
above is rubbish and dangerous E xecution
rubbish at that.
I want you to remember one thing and The above are headings which we will
it is the most important you should take look at and which contain the massive
on board about self defence - amount of data which we should have
ACTION BEATS REACTION before we act in combat. These are not
awareness factors, they are all the
At the range you have in the street other things that regrettably we ignore
when someone is threatening you or take for granted, but which have
blocking and countering is just simply substantial influence of whether we
bollocks. Over 33 yrs of Karate have the whole picture and will suc-
practice I must have thrown a million ceed in our endeavour.
blocks or more in practise, in the street
I cant remember throwing one. Thats 1. Factors
the reality of how it happens. Numbers of opponents, how dressed
(you), terrain (even or uneven, wet and
Attack was only ever the best means slippy) footing, footwear, restrictive
of defence - and remains so. Later we clothing, lighting, natural weapons,
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can end up with you battling against 2 lose face in front of his mates if you do
or 3. So - BE CERTAIN! manage to back him down.
Better to appear afraid and incapable,
Can You Bluff? which subterfuge can build over-
If conflict is inevitable, then you need confidence in your opponent and serve
to be a good poker player, as you may to draw him in to your most suitable
have to bluff, despite your inner and preferred range. You need to
feelings. You can exude aggression practise both these postures and the
dialogue which goes with them - they
both work and have for me on many
occasions.
The aggressive approach will,
however, seldom work on drunks, or
people whose rational thinking is
affected by drugs or a complete loss
of self-control and anger. Their
imagination, as to what will befall them,
that youre so graphically describing, is
Often, its better to appear uncertain and
lost on these people - though it can
afraid, rather than aggressive. This way you work well with the casual street
can suck them in to a favourable distance and
often, the aggressive approach wont work encounter.
with drunks.
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Close Quarter Combat (CQC). It done previously. I say the same thing
demands, at the risk of repetition, that each time Im teaching police officers
you are constantly aware as to how if you were to be sent naked to deal
all the factors under each heading with a public order dispute, how careful
are constantly changing - ie. Situation would you be?. The answer is the
Awareness and how, as a same every time - very careful. I then
consequence, our options and make the point that despite the array of
methods need to change. protection you have these days you
should be no less careful. Training
Risk Compensation which concentrates on the techniques
This concerns us all because it is of the weapons and ignores the
rooted in our basic psychological make person is going down the wrong path.
up, hence we are unable to do The officer going to a public order
anything about it. The principle of risk situation naked realises that as a
compensation is that we exchange a person he is actually not that skilled in
greater degree of risk in return for a personal combat!
psychological trade off of something
else. An example is the result of He or she realises that much of the
statutory seat belt wearing in the UK. feeling of security has come from the
Designed to lessen injuries, the authority they have by dint of the job
legislation in effect had no impact and, these days, an array of weapons.
on the numbers of injuries which If a person has questions about their
subsequently occurred. The reason combative abilities more weapons are
was risk compensation in that when not the answer. If a weapon fails as the
people put on a seat belt they drove incapacitating sprays have on
faster and took more risks than they occasions, then an officer cannot
would when not wearing the belt. simply work through everything on the
belt kit. It is now referred to as the
The Magic Vest magic vest syndrome, a bit like the
Police Officers are the same when search for the Holy Grail.
given a stab or ballistic vest and a
variety of weapons - lethal or not. All training must make the person
There goes along with the vest and the combative, primarily. The reasons a
weapons, an increased feeling of person cannot move to action in a
invulnerability and he or she will go confrontation must be out on the
into face situations he would not have table for examination e.g. fear,
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dealing with rational, honest, reason- situation is close to being reached, not
able and inherently nice people - you by his actions so much, as by my own
are not). At the risk of nausea, Action feelings and concerns, i.e. I feel to be
Beats Reaction. At close quarters you losing control of the situation, am
will have no chance of blocking and fearful and very uncertain as to when
consequently no chance of countering. he will strike, although I know it is
The definition of Pre-emption in the imminent.
Chambers Concise dictionary is the Bluff Or For Real!
act of acting first to forestall hostile If I feel less than this then I have a
bluffer in front of me who
I know is trying to psyche
me out and make me back
down. I have
experienced this enough
times to spot the differ-
ence, but for the average
person in the street
they will not be able to dis-
tinguish between the two
and why should they.
Once again, get them used to your hands being out in front. The
further forward your leading hand can creep without being a These people are both
threat, the better.
threatening, highly intimi-
action - not simply the act of dating and fear inducing. Given this
attacking. We are hopefully all you have every right to strike first if you
intuitive, if not experi-
enced enough to know
when a situation or
confrontation contains
certain inevitabilities
within it. The only
inevitability that I want to
identify is that the person
in front of me, at some
undetermined, but
inevitable time is going
to attack. I judge that Your lead hand is then close enough to pre-empt without any
chance of reaction by the opponent. You could punch, but my pref-
erence has always been the slap - see next photograph.
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face, so to speak. If hes burst out of that a strike is appropriate. One shot
the bushes or from an alley then you only must do it. If you can achieve this
may be bowled over and have no time then you limit the potential for damage
to strike, but even then you should to both you and him as your response
power an elbow in if you have an in terms of force must be reasonable.
opportunity or a head and teeth. You
will often find that your assailant will You need a one blow capability - for my
use proximity to intimidate you ie, he money anyway. If one wont do it then
will try to crowd you and attempt to 5-6 certainly wont - it means that
intimidate you with his physical very simply you cant deliver impact
presence and his verbal abuse and properly. My POWERSTRIKE system
threats. This person is ideal for a which utilises the unique Double Hip
pre- emptive strike as he kindly brings multiplies impact into strikes and kicks
himself into range. Dont hesitate - three or four fold. It has many benefits,
strike, the level of aggression and not least the result that you actually
threats are enough justification for injure opponents less. A one blow
action on your part. capability can render an opponent
incapacitated, but with little or no
Beware The Unseen Blade residual damage.
These days you must also work on the
assumption that he has a blade of We have looked at various manage-
some description and despite the fact ment aspects of self defence, in other
that it is not evident there is enough words all the wider issues that are part
justification given the increasing knife of what I call the big picture. All too
incidents to presume he has one on often self defence concentrates too
his person rather than to assume he much on the face to face encounter
doesn't. This single fact alone alters and ignores the the Why and How of
drastically your game plan. Even less what you are actually doing there in
can you afford to close and get a grip, the first place. More attention to the
even if you are wanting to remove awareness and personal security
someone from your store or office factors would prevent 90% of most
where you work. Dont believe that encounters ever turning physical.
because you can see his palms that a
blade is not easily to hand. You cannot Male and Female
afford to let him close with you. If he Requirements
comes within range then you may feel Any programme which treats men and
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women equal in their requirements for grappling range where male strength
an effective defensive system is will predominate. Without an extremely
practising deceit. Look at the homicide violent response of biting and eye
statistics earlier in the book and see gouging a female is not going to win an
how the deaths occur. For women, encounter when strength is allowed to
quite clearly the range at which dominate and initial injury has stolen
violence occurs in its ultimate form is the resolve to resist. Also, few if any
that much closer than it is for men. women can take a strong blow to the
This is evidenced by the level of face.
strangulation as distinct from male In the Introduction I mentioned one of
homicides by the same method which the worst books I had seen on self
totalled only 5%. Male homicides are defence, written by people who have
essentially at arms length whereas as no clue outside the dojo how violent
for women it is happening at close attacks happen.You can contrast the
techniques in the above book with
those taught on say, the Impact
Personal Safety Programme in
Van Nuys USA. It is a womens self
defence programme based on
reality, with a large man in an even
larger impact suit who insults and
attacks his female participants
with the reality of the street. A
descendent of the Model
Mugging Womens Self Defence,
originally developed in the early
70s by American martial artist
Mathew Thomas.
He was forced to reconsider the
effectiveness of martial arts as self
defence following the rape of one of
his best female students, a
trophy winning competitor. Thomas
Action from the Impact Personal Safety Programme.
discovered in his subsequent
This is the reality of teaching womens self defence, research that men attack women
where size and weight predominate. This is not more
martial arts in jeans and this course, like the Model differently than they attack men
Mugging deals with reality.
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(we know in the UK from the injuries body strength is impossible to match
sustained that this is definitely the yet a womans lower body strength can
case), where instead of keeping a generate enormous impact, even on
distance and exchanging blows they the ground. For a man to reach a
move in fast on a woman, smother her woman who is on the ground he has to
and grab. This completely negates extend and in doing so exposes
most trained defensive tactics. himself to well placed kicks. When you
Strength and weight predominate. have seen it done you can appreciate
that the system and that of Model
The Impact system is quite revolution- Mugging has the only real answer to
ary in that it encourages, on occasions, womens self defence.
women to go to the ground and kick.
The premise is that a mans upper The Impact course gives women
the opportunity to act out the
nightmare of assault before it
becomes a reality. In four or five
sessions they are subjected to as
many as 30 full force attacks by
a powerful unarmed assailant.
What they teach is not just
technique, but fighting spirit to
strike, elbow, nail gouge, but to
add rage.
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It is often easier for a male to fight where to run to. In these pages it
through initial impact and trauma and would be impossible to create, in
there general upbringing has made photographic form the way such
them more resilient to contact teaching should unfold. Only a very
situations. Not so with a female who suitable class can provide the training
has had little if no experience at and duplicate the feelings induced.
combative, impact sports. A solid hit to They are very few and far between
the face of a man may or may not put
him down, but the same blow to a We could summarise the individual
female will nearly in every occasion put elements of self defence as:-
her down. It is critical that self defence Personal Psychology,
classes for women place the correct Personal Awareness,
emphasis on what is actually required. Personal Experience, personal
The statistics quite clearly show that practise,
violence against females is likely to Personal Fitness,
be by spouse or lover and rape a Personal Confidence - this latter
staggering 61% by someone known to being a sum total of the others.
her. A females attitude to being violent
against someone she knows, even
when being attacked is never going to
be the same as it would be with a
stranger and must be taken into
account. It produces a high level of
reluctance for her to fight back and
cause injuries.
The gap as to requirement widens
when you take into account where
violence occurs. For females in
England and Wales between 1990 and
1994 48% of crimes occurred in the
home of the victim or suspect with a
further 15% being indoors elsewhere.
To fatuously advise females how to hit
and run takes little cognisance of the
fact that in the majority of assaults to
which they are subjected they have no
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amongst many other people decry systems have no place in any part of
I
the effectiveness of traditional your mind at this time. When your
martial arts in street encounters, aggressor starts, or more correctly,
although this statement must be you start, in order to finish it, you need
put in context. Martial Arts is the ONE or possibly TWO techniques
raw material for street combat and which must be instinctive and well
defence, but in its unaltered, complex honed. Skilled at hundreds probably
format it is a hindrance to safety rather means you are effective at none.
than the answer.Traditional systems
are overburdened with technique and The Technique Log Jam!
each one vies with the other to It is like having an egg timer. In the top
compete on complexity. When violence of the timer are thousands of grains of
erupts in front of you in the street, in sand, but at any one time only one or
the car or the home you must have sim- two grains can pass through the neck.
ple, powerful, reactive techniques, Any more, simply jam up the works.
which require gross motor skills only. Its the same with street defence, any
The more simple the action the more more than one technique in your mind
chance your brain has of bringing it clogs up the system, and this mental
into action. log jam results in inaction and
confusion. In the cold, clear light of
The hundreds of techniques and day and when you practise in the Dojo,
combination of techniques which if you believe it doesnt happen like
comprise such systems as Karate, that - you are wrong. When the fear,
Judo, Aikido, Ju-Jitsu, Boxing and the stress, panic, shock and chemical
myriad of Chinese and other Asian responses take hold complexity is
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death. It is the Freeze syndrome and movement on your part, the reason
whilst there are many contributing being you have no confidence in your
factors, having too many options to techniques, but worse you have no
choose from certainly contributes to the confidence in YOURSELF!
inactivity. I know because I felt it many
years ago on the doors when all I had So are Martial Arts a waste of
was a traditional system with only time? No, just the opposite. A good
competitive experience to fall back on. grounding in a martial art or martial
arts, will give you a number of benefits.
Primarily and most importantly it will
put your mind in touch with your body.
Practitioners of many years standing
have good physical control, good
balance, good timing, good reflexes
and a good mind to body link. They
have a much better awareness about
themselves. Where the problems
occur, from my point of view, is that the
wrong technique is reflexed for the
incorrect circumstance.
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The problem with these people is that they have to do it, will not be anywhere
others look at them and believe it is the near as effective.
system which is working and fail to see
that is in fact the individual and that the An Organised Approach
system he teaches, in the hands of In the UK in the early 80s the then
lesser mortals, with the limited time governing body of British Martial Arts
the Martial Arts Commission (MAC)
became so concerned about the
teaching of self defence by martial
artists they developed what came to be
known as the MAC-1 Self Defence
course. I will quote from the original
announcement made about the course
as it echoes much of what I have been
saying:-
The course is designed for coaches,
to teach people who are of average f
itness, who do not participate in sport
and have very little, or no interest in
martial arts, but DO have considerable
interest in wanting to learn some
techniques of a simple and effective
nature to defend themselves against
physical aggression.
Blocks and counters must be simultaneous and
you can only ever close with the opponent.
The Commission instigated a
review of the teaching of self
defence, as a result of numerous
complaints, both directly and
indirectly. Some of the findings of
this review were:
1. Some of the techniques being
taught were to complex to be
used effectively in an emergency.
2. Many techniques did not
Also, gain the maximum effect from each counter.
Often, there is a reluctance to go for the eyes, but, if immobilise the attacker, but only
occasion demands, you must.
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hurt and there was some evidence to Whilst the initiative seemed laudable
suggest that this invoked a greater in reality what resulted was pretty
response from the attacker, resulting in useless and looked like a committee
more serious injury to the victim. designed camel i.e. six humps, five
3. A significant number of attacks legs, stripes and a neck like a giraffe!
resulted in the person being knocked I attended the first submittal meeting
to the ground and only a few of where the thoughts and techniques
the systems of self defence being from the various groups in the
taught considered the ability to be able Commission were presented.
to Think once on the ground as
important. Most were completely style based,
4. Some martial arts clubs advertised bore no reality to how attacks actually
self defence only as a means to occurred, but as every group exercised
encourage paying customers. its political influence something from
their system found its way in. This
As a result of this review, the was committee designed self defence
Commission set about producing a and it also had six humps. It was too
syllabus which was aimed at individu- technique based with little or no
als who wanted, in the first instance, personal security content and signifi-
to learn, in a relatively short course cantly lacking in any street reality.
(15-18 weeks ) how best to defend
themselves and are Ms, Mrs, Miss, or For me the main benefit to come out
Mr normal. The result was the MAC-1 of the initiative was that a clear
and attempts to ensure that what is separation had been made between
taught is what is described, SELF teaching the art and sport of martial
DEFENCE. arts and teaching self defence.
Interesting also that a short course
------------------------ should be deemed 15-18 weeks. To
me short should be one third of
The above fairly succinctly sums up this length and any longer means you
the then state of self defence teaching are teaching too many techniques.
in the UK. All the points I talk about What was also excluded was fear
formed the rational for change training. Fear was not something
although the MAC did not express their talked about in polite martial arts
views as scathingly as I always have. circles.
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bag of other pick and mix elements even thousands of years of develop-
all broadly based on impactive ment behind them they are stylised
techniques based around the double and designed to impress. One only has
to look at the challenges that took
place between masters in both the
Japanese and Chinese environment.
These events became a village event.
Peoples expectation was for a
display of both skill, and range of
techniques. People had baked cakes
for the event and if it was over in one
second as a result of one opponent
asking him for the time and knocking
him unconscious when he looked
down at his watch the winner would
have been lynched. Peoples expecta-
tion was for a display where the whole
of the system would be used. It is
display - plain and simple.
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Fighting is Not Self Defence fighting skills are of no benefit. You are
If you take nothing else on-board from not going to be around long enough to
this book try to keep hold of this:- fight rather you will hit and run.
The main problem in most Martial When you prepare to fight you arrange
systems is that they either have yourself in a way that tells the other
a sporting element or a fighting person what you do and what you
element. Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, know, but the problem is that he may
Savate, Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Ju-Jitsu know more and do it better.
et al all have a sporting side to them Let me give two examples. If you are in
and practitioners can easily become a room and between you and the door
confused with what can transfer to the are two men who are out to kill you
street. Also most of the systems spar with their bare hands, they know
in other words they allow practise how good you are and can fight
between students to hone their themselves. This is a fight - you will
fighting skill. In a minute I will make need a stance, a guard and every
the distinction between fighting and ounce of skill and technique, even
self defence, but suffice to say that if blocking. It may deteriorate into a
you end up in a fighting stance, with brawl, but it will still be a fight. Two
your guard up in the street then you men who come up to you in a club who
have done something very wrong. stand some two feet away, who have
Fighting is NOT self defence. In the no idea what you are capable of and
street and for the average person tell you they are going to kill you simply
need knocking out before they finish
the sentence. Ill submit the latter is not
a fight, it is pre-emptive self defence,
for which you need no stance, no
guard, no encyclopedia of techniques,
just impact and guile. So two things
avoid sporting martial systems and
dont believe sparring is what you need
for the street.
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martial arts system with all the rigid Israeli Defence forces, Krav Maga
inflexibility that that implies. In the BCA effectively translates to contact
we have Britains foremost JKD combat. There are now three arms to
instructor Rick Young, who through the system - that taught to civilians,
that taught to the Police and that
taught to the Military.
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There is some good feedback coming military, but sadly they, like all of us,
in from officers both uniformed and seem to forget what they knew every
undercover, in the States, as to the other generation or so. I can sum up
effectiveness of the system and this is my own confusion in the search for
good. the holy grail with a look at the
I have seen a demonstration and I like comparison between unarmed self
the system. My only reservation is defence and weapons training.
the lack of pre-emption and the fact Second I want to show how quickly we
that the training and techniques forget the skills of the past and end up
apply without seeming adaptation to having to reinvent the wheel every 50
regional threats- in other words street years or so. I have shot pistol for many
attacks in the UK, dont happen as years, as many in fact as I have
they do in the states, as they do in the practised martial arts and when you
Phillipines, as they do in Moscow etc. research the history and background
Small country variations require often of the practise and adoption of
big adjustments to your thinking and handguns many similarities between
force options. It is very much a mainstream martial arts occur
defensive system, but in that context I
think it is excellent. My last reservation, Writing a book on self defence is like
certainly here in the UK is that for a writing a book about a vast subject like
substantial fee you can be trained and shooting - its impossible to do it any
licensed as an instructor. That doesnt justice unless you have the space of
cut it for me. Someone who has never an encyclopedia. So where do we
had to use techniques he or she is start and from what perspective or
teaching is immediately deficient. perspectives do we approach such a
There is the credibility gap and the vast subject. In both shooting and self
empathy needed to be able to be defence, we can draw some broad
convincing about the efficacy of what similarities which may help us drive a
you are teaching, but the same goes small wedge into the subject and open
for ninety percent of instructors, in it up for discussion.
most systems.
In simplistic terms, we say shooting is
A Military Solution? broadly one of two things - that is, it is
Where can we look to for the either Offensive or Defensive. We
authoritative level of defensive skills. can then lump weapons and tactics
One would immediately say the into these two broad divisions and
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make the subject somewhat easier to Self defence systems in the military
digest. We talk about assault rifles have received no less a confused
(offensive) and handguns for personal approach. Often, the very term Self
protection (defensive) and the tactics Defence determines what people feel
we then employ in either case are should be taught and often this results
those forged by the demands of these in a worthless, ineffective, dangerous
basic roles, taking into account such (to the user) collection of techniques
considerations as weapon limitations that have no place in a dangerous
and effectiveness of them to operate world. The problem is always the fact
within these two arenas. The problem that by definition, Defence - implies
occurs where one arena overlaps the waiting to react before responding to
other. an attack. The intimacy of electronic
news gathering at nearly every conflict
Handguns, from a military point of around the world has had the effect
view, have always enjoyed a that every authority, be they police or
secondary role to the main purpose of military, has as much a consideration
principal weapons systems, such as to adverse publicity during conflicts
those designed for the battlefield. One as they do to giving their people
only has to look at the struggle which effective combat techniques.
took place to have semi-auto pistols Combative technique cannot be
accepted by the American Military in politically correct and effective at the
the early part of this century to see same time. Our police in the UK are
how confused was the thinking on the recognising this, although politicians
requirement for a personal weapon of arent as the RUC in summer 97 were
protection as handguns were called. banned by Mo Mowlem, Minister for
Hand in hand with the battle over the Northern Ireland, from having riot
merits of revolver or pistol went the guns.
battle about training and even with the
enhanced firepower of pistols, training Many years ago, I began using the
was still conditioned by the Principles term Self Protection to free up the
of Marksmanship which dogged any thinking and to acceptably allow
practical approach to pistol work for pre-emptive attacks to form the basis
nearly two world wars, with some of my Close Combat teaching. If we
notable exceptions. This is like the are looking, however, for a suitable
battle now between traditional arts heading to describe the whole of what
and practical systems. we want, then Unarmed Combat
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c. Firearm retention in all conditions. however, the attackers are frozen into
d. Toe effect an arrest. immobility for some 2 - 3 seconds after
e. To disarm an adversary. he has committed his arm for one
thrust of the knife at what must have
All good stuff, but the reader is been a pedestrian pace - bollocks I
probably by now developing a third say again - its not reality. This is no
eye for reading between the lines. different, however, from how it is
Many of the above are cover your displayed in most self defence books.
arse directives.
Capt. Stephen Stavers USMC, who
Any army manual for combat which was killed in 1944 during the marine
has been contributed to by the landings at Peleliu, was a personal
Metropolitan Police and Customs & combat instructor and a student of a
Excise, is not forged in either the heat Col Biddle, who many will know from
of war or the necessity of survival, but his somewhat classical work on the
coloured with the brush of political subject of combat knife fighting.
correctness and over-adherence to Stavers commented on knife defence -
their interpretation of the laws of self he said (and knew) that no bare-
defence, so as to obviate criticism of handed disarming technique is
senior officers over acts of defence dependable against even a fair knife
their people may effect. It is fighter. Trying to disarm a truly
dangerous, fallacious and misleading scientific knife fighter would be like
to train people in the belief that these trying to stop a propeller with bare
techniques of defence will work for hands. He went on to say indeed,
only one person against real attacks. the appearance of the scientific
knife fighter in action suggests a
The Reality of The Knife flashing propeller on the head of a
With excuses for dropping into the cobra, to use an extravagant
vernacular, its complete bollocks to metaphor, he uses a slashing attack
believe that someone, in reality, who (rather than thrusting or stabbing),
dives towards you with short, fast, with the knife pointing forward in a
slashing strokes of a knife, can have loose, flexible manner, the blade flat
his wrist gripped, twisted, locked and and the cutting edge outward. The
then thrown to the ground and blade is in constant, controlled,
disarmed. When you look at the lateral motion at the same time,
diagrams in Control & Restraint, moving in and out, high and low.
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came in 1925 with the formation of station in which an armed gang had
what was officially known as the taken refuge and prisoners in a
Reserve Unit but better known as the residential area.
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OSS instructors in WW2. Taken at OSS Camp Area B (Camp David) 1943. Fairbairn 1st
row second fron right. Rex Applegate 2nd row fourth from left. Colonel Applegate is
still an extremely active unarmed combat and weapons instructor teaching both the US
Marine Corps and also at such places as Hocking College (Police training) Ohio. Photo
courtesy of Colonel Rex Applegate.
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New York City. A practitioner of or lost in the myriad systems that have
Ju-Jitsu, defendu and police defensive evolved since the mass influx of these
tactics he was also a self-defense arts into the West.
consultant on the Mayors Task Force
on Rape. This is not to write all these arts off,
one cannot do this as there is always
Peter Robins, once wrote in an article the exception to the rule, but the rule
how little development work there seems to be that hundreds of new
had been since the early part of this systems and styles have been brought
century and when one looked at into being in the last twenty years or
Fairbairns writings in his books - so. The 60s and 70s saw the main-
Defendu 1926, Scientific Self Defence stream systems, predominantly
1931 and finally, Get Tough the Japanese karate grow and flourish.
answers had been arrived at then. This Gradually there began a break up and
wasnt by way of criticism, but an split away of individuals and groups to
observation about how few things found their own organisations. No big
actually work in real combat and about problem there, but many of these
the simplicity of techniques which are individuals and groups had little
required. As the only genuine teacher understanding of their original system.
of Defendu in Britain, and with nearly Certainly in many cases, nowhere near
30 years martial arts experience, Peter enough knowledge to go off and
is more than qualified to comment on develop their own system - style, yes,
the role of martial arts in self defence. but actual system?
The following is an extract from an
article he wrote for the internal What happened was that in many
newsletter of The British Combat instances, the old adage a little
Association:- learning is a dangerous thing, was
------------------------- again proved true. Judged from a
Thoughts on Self Protection and sporting aspect, this break up was no
Martial Arts. big problem really. Judged today from
by Peter Robins a self protection point of view, it was a
disaster. What we are left with is
It is indeed a sad reflection on the very often a hotch-potch of
martial arts today that so much of sporting/competition moves, presented
their original base in effective combat as a coherent and sound method of
techniques have been sacrificed and self defence. Or a collection of pseudo
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meant was that the recipient had Consider this, you have been told that
gained a certain level in training. you are at war from tomorrow and that
you have been given a group of people
The myth was sold that gaining in to train. They will be able to spend
knowledge and becoming effective about a day or two with you learning
meant learning more weird and some unarmed techniques, after that
wonderful moves as you progressed. they will have to move on and take with
them what you have been able to show
The myth was sold that all martial them. They might very well have to use
arts had been tried and tested. what you have been able to teach
them in a real close combat situation
The list could go on, but we will stop ...... what would you teach them? Now
there and state that this is enough to you may say this sounds rather
be going on with! far-fetched, but travel back to the last
war and that is more or less what
Pick up any martial arts magazine from instructors like Fairbairn & Sykes had
the past few years and you will see to do.
words used in the text and advertise-
ments that were never used before - Peter Robins June 97
words like, real, effective, practical, -------------------------
combat ........
Peter Robins advises that Fairbairn
This is not done just for editorial based his teaching of close combat on
content. It does show that a problem 3 principles:
has been recognised in regard to what Surprise Speed Retaining the
has been passed off for self protection Initiative
and what has often been a rather
stylised dance or keep fit regime. The first two are self-explanatory, the
Harsh words? Maybe so. I truly hope third perhaps not quite so. What he
that anyone reading this can turn advocated was that once you decide
around and say - that does not apply you have to attack, then there is no
to me, I had a good instructor, one that let-up until the fight is over. The
knew what he was talking about at a rationale was very aptly summed up by
practical level and made what he gave the CO at the Special Training Centre,
us a living art, not a dead artifact. Lochailort, in Western Scotland in July
1942 as follows:-
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brought into action quickly and do not went wrong. To someone attacked
require a high skill level to use. Dont with or threatened with a knife such
also think that the blade of a knife distinctions are unhelpful. When you
needs to be long to cause damage. In are threatened with a knife, particular-
one ten year period in one county of ly when it is used to back up a street
Texas, two law enforcement officers robbery, compliance must be the initial
were murdered with edged weapons tactic, but keep in the forefront of your
of less than one inch blade length - a mind that even if you comply they or he
carpet cutter and a single edged razor may still cut you. Be prepared to go
blade. Because of the small surface along with the first, but not with the
area of the tip of the knife blade there second option. How close the knife
are tons per square inch, per unit area. is held is another problem. If it is
Only a four centimetre blade will touching your body then you must act,
penetrate the heart. in my belief. The problem is that there
is no transition from him holding it
In 1992 a crime survey in the UK against you, to pushing it in you, or
revealed that in half the incidents of
mugging, the offenders were armed
with an edged weapon. Knives were
top of the list, but screwdrivers were
next. In 1994 out of 677 homicides
recorded in the UK some 236 (35%)
involved an edged weapon of one type
or another. The preceding ten years up
to 1994 shows a fluctuation in this
percentage of between 32% and 37%.
Knives can be concealed and brought
into play from anywhere. This book is
not the place to look at the knife and
its tactics in any detail and, for the Against the knife, Krav Maga operates on the
man in the street would serve no premise that action will beat reaction and
that proximity not distance is whats needed.
purpose. In the UK knife skills, unlike
the States, are amateurish. Most are slashing your mouth open if it is held
carried to intimidate and many deaths against your face. There is insufficient
which result from edged weapons are movement for you to react against, so
probably the acts of bravado which you must act the moment the blade is
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not got a knife. It can be up a sleeve, British police have found themselves
in his belt, behind his neck and only on the front line when it comes to knife
the limits of imagination restrict where attacks. It was reported that a Sheffield
someone may be concealing a knife. police constable could be scarred for
This is why I will not be convinced life, after being repeatedly slashed
otherwise about the correctness of across the face and back of the head
strikes in a conflict , to do anything else in a frenzied knife attack by a motorist
exposes you to an edged weapon. he had stopped for questioning. After
checking the drivers details he
4 Hurt In Knife Attack At realised the man was wanted in
Jobcentre connection with a theft and attempted
Four people were wounded, one to arrest him. Once outside the vehicle,
seriously by a woman, armed with two the man produced what appeared to
knives and two screwdrivers, who be a Stanley knife and slashed to PC
attacked customers and staff at a several times across the back of the
Jobcentre yesterday. Simon Bridge, a head. The police constable later
24 yr old electrician, staggered from underwent surgery to a deep 6 inch
the centre with a knife embedded in his wound to his face.
head. He had joined the queue when
he was attacked from behind by the One Metropolitan police sergeant saw
woman who was described as berserk. colleagues stabbed 11 times as he
She attacked for no reason and with crossed the road to help them. It is
no warning, although it was thought reported that most attacks are
the incident had been as a result of the spontaneous and can be over in
woman not having been able to collect seconds, with horrific and sometimes
a payment cheque the day before. fatal results.
One 42 yr old man who was inside
the Centre said she went totally Dont just think of an edged weapon as
berserk. I saw her grab someone and being a knife - the common screwdriv-
stab them. People were hitting her with er is the second most common murder
chairs, but she did not stop. She weapon in the UK and US after knives.
was eventually detained by the police. A weapon with a blade of just one to
Daily Telegraph one-and-a-half inches can penetrate
the heart, abdomen, or neck area,
Dont think it just happens to the sever vital arteries and cause death.
public. Over the past few years the
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or cover an officer whilst his partner The problem is, how transferable the
searches the suspect or questions conclusions and advice are to the UK
him. With no pistol it isnt a transfer- scenario. Armed officers, regularly
able option! What I also have a facing armed villains, in ultra-violent
problem with is that if your suspicions surroundings creates a mind set when
of the man are such that you have answering a call in the States, that is
retreated to a 10 foot distance at some not prevalent amongst officers here,
point you are going to have to close certainly ones I talk to and train. Also
again! ). Also if you are called to a the 21 foot reactionary gap was
domestic ten feet between you and obtained by having someone geared
the protagonists is definitely not an up to sprint over that distance as a
option). challenge which we know now as the
Tueller Drill -it wont happen like that
If a suspect produces a knife the first in reality. It was about 1983 that
officer should shout knife! to alert Dennis Tueller a Salt Lake City cop
others. who also taught at Gunsite
(PC this is transferable to a member of researched the fact that it took an
the public in the same situation). average man only 1.5 seconds to
cover seven yards, from a standing
If the weapon is a screwdriver, still start and deliver a fatal knife strike. All
shout knife and back off immediately to well and good, but we know that in the
create space. street a man will not sprint to deliver
a knife strike, but will want to
The Magic 21 Feet surprise you at very close range. This
The comment was then made about reactionary gap also includes bringing
the requirement for the 21 foot a defensive handgun into play.
reactionary gap. This is the product of
the American video Surviving Edged My point has always has been that the
Weapons. An excellent video and the man you feel you need to keep ten feet
best I have ever seen at bringing home away from is probably no threat. It is
the reality of the knife, its culture and the man who seemingly offers no
devastating effect at close quarters. It threat is the one who may be lulling
recounts and recreates actual officer you into a false sense of security,
incidents with chilling realism and must getting you close and then hell
be recommended viewing for all law explode. So there is still a closer
enforcement personnel. proximity between officer and suspect
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I learned one thing on the door and Ill quote my good friend Peter Robins
that was if they even blinked and I again who with his links with some
thought they were going to move or go very practical combat people in the
for a knife you could only go one way States recounts the speed at which
and thats forwards. You must hit hard, Bob Kaspers students were able to
jam the hand thats reaching inside the draw a concealed knife, either an open
jacket and blast him with the combined blade or even a folder all within a
head & shoulder hit or elbows. If you second for the former and marginally
try and go back you may have over one second with the folder and
nowhere to go, could slip, will panic, slash a special target.
not be in control, will give him the
range he needs to slash at you, many The advice from the article, which I
falsely believe you should be going for have related above, extended to look
a spray or baton, but its too late for at what options were available if
that and you will probably fumble it. Try attacked close up and it rightly made
your drills against a knife with your the comment that even a baton may
back against a wall! You then know have limited value. Remember this is
intuitively that there is only one way to advice to serving police officers, but
go. You cannot go backwards at the having a knifeman at three feet in front
same time you organise your of you, matters, not what your
defences. Purpose is for being there at the time.
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The advice went like this- you have no time to bring a baton
-- Try to deflect the knife hand to the into effect. What I am advocating
side. goes against the Pat-Wrap-Attack
-- Move away sidewards. procedure advocated by certain
-- Create distance between you and individuals involved in police training.
the attacker. I have no objection with the Pat and
-- take cover. Attack part, it is the bit in the middle
(The above is fine so far and I agree which is frankly bollocks.
with the broad tactic to get away. The
following, however, is not so good). The first golden rule is not to try to grab
If you are faced with immediate the knife arm, either with one and
threat of death or serious injury:- certainly not with two of your hands.
-- Grab the attackers wrist with both You just wont be able to pull it off
hands; whilst he is slashing and stabbing at
-- Bang the wrist repeatedly on a hard the speed of light. Its back to the
surface or; whirling propeller. If you cannot get a
-- knee-strike the abdomen repeatedly; grip very early on you will be in a bad
shout drop the knife repeatedly. way. Trying to concentrate on this
The advice went on to say - to the exclusion of destroying your
by hitting the wrist or abdomen opponent places entirely the wrong
repeatedly, you stun the attacker and emphasis on the correct sequence.
cause dysfunction in the arm or body. The majority of people who try to teach
The aim is to cause him to drop the knife self defence do so on the basis
weapon. If the weapon is dropped: of the straight stab or long, wide swing
-- Restrain the person if possible which is left out just long enough to
-- create distance facilitate a good hold on the offending
do not get involved in a brawl with an arm and then a suitable counter
armed attacker.....you will lose. attack - NO WAY!.
I find it very hard to be critical of advice The second golden rule is knee strikes
which is meant to help officers who to the abdomen do not work! They
may be faced with a knife situation, but dont work for a number of reasons,
many aspects of the above are wrong the first being that you are kneeing
tactically. The assumption has to be upwards which diminishes your
made that- you cannot get away, he is impact, by nearly half. Second we
going to attack you with the blade and have to make the assumption that to
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4. Once the knife is out your priority strike again. For me its elbows. He will
plan is to escape. That being duck his face down as everyone does
impossible, you must be a believer that and the throat may not present itself as
attack is the ONLY defence you have. a target. Dont practise drills in training
In the States it is now accepted that: which are based on the fact that you
a. You are likely to get cut and on that always have targets to strike. Make it
basis you should present the least real - get the training assailant to put
important part of your body to the his head down and shoulders up and
weapon. This is the backs of your arms see how difficult matters become.
which are raised as a guard f. If an assailant simply pushes the
b. The best you will hope for is to blade close to you you will usually be
deflect the blade, enabling you to able to slap it out of his hand. Believe
close with your opponent and using me it works - Action beats Reaction.
elbow techniques, eye gouges, throat Hit the inside of the wrist and you will
strikes take him out of the game. You get a nervous spasm which can
must put him under an endless release the grip. Any knife held close
barrage of blows. You will not be able to you and touching your body as a
to grab his wrist and who can say that threat must be attacked. Compliance is
even if you do what is there to bang no guarantee of not getting cut. A fast,
his wrist on. Grabbing his wrist does non-telegraphed strike to the knife
nothing. He simply has to take the hand or arm will work - Action beats
knife with his other hand and you are Reaction.
dead. The deflection must be a heavy
slap. The Original Problem
c. If you can grab some clothing good. The martial arts world bears the
Dont even attempt a wrist lock it is a greatest responsibility for the myth of
fine motor skill and is likely to fail. knife self defence. Martial arts to its
d. Force the knife hand away from discredit has an answer for everything
both your bodies if you have managed - in reality though, it doesnt. What it
to get a grip of a sleeve. If you dont he does have is the ability for two trained
will be able to manipulate the blade people to arrange pre-set drills
from the wrist and cut you, but more where compliance by the attacker is
hazardous is his ability to change the paramount and by the application of
weapon to his other hand. choreographed skills demonstrate a
e. Your very first strike must have the defence for all occasions. What it also
maximum force possible and then has is shelter for some individuals
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who would have no life outside of their arts knife defence I have seen which
martial art to perpetrate the myth to is based on attacks as they actually
enhance solely personal ambition happen.
with no thought or regard to the - They show a straight thrust, which
consequences of their actions. after being delivered is left in the air
with the arm rigid so that a grab and
To believe that Taiho Jutsu could be counter can be applied.
transferred from the Japanese police - There are down strikes which are
to here in the UK took a certain leap of blocked with a rising block and then
faith . What didnt come with it was the the same counter strike finish.
political and cultural background of - The attack is always to a pre-
policing in Japan, for example that determined area at a set point in front
their power was absolute, people of the defenders body so he knows
disappeared on remand for many where to block.
years until a trial date was set and,
most importantly, Japanese police had Watch an demonstration of Tomiki
been using steel telescopic batons to Aikido, where, to their credit they work
subdue people they were going to on freeform knife attacks with no
arrest with their taiho jutsu techniques pre-determined attack or target. The
for 45 years and more. problem is though that defenders are
able to start at a safe distance and
More importantly training in martial move about the mat with absolute
arts was a cultural part of every freedom and no restrictions, but more
Japanese police station - a way of life importantly, look at how many times
- with many hours a week devoted to a the grabs and counters dont work. Put
whole range of systems, not only Taiho the defender with his back to a wall or
Jutsu. This level of training produces put him in a corner, facing a razor
fine motor skills that survive the stress sharp blade and then see how
of the street. It wont for the British effective trying to get a lock on the
officer with a few hours training a wrist will be!
month.
Improvised Weapons
Unfortunately what you see, albeit Hand in hand with some general
impressive for its gymnastic quality martial arts myths and street defence,
is a million miles away from how it goes the myth about improvised
happens in reality. There is no martial weapons. Pens, combs, brollies, rolled
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magazines, briefcases, keys, etc etc last thing you will do is remember to
are all referred to as suitable roll up your copy of Playboy, you wont
improvised weapons. In reality none reach for your comb or pen and even if
will work and they wont work for a you have your keys in your hand they
number of reasons. Before we look at will seem a puny option against a six
whether improvised weapons have a inch blade. Second, although you have
part to play in a defensive strategy we read about how a variety of daily
need to look at the law. instruments can be turned into a
weapon, you never practise with them
The carrying of anything designed to and, as consequence, you have no
be used as a weapon is illegal. The trained or reactive response to bring
principal legislation about this is them into play. Unless you practise
Section 1 Prevention of Crime Act daily using your briefcase as a shield
1953, which states Any person who you will even forget you have it in your
without lawful authority or reasonable hand when someone pulls a knife on
excuse, the proof thereof shall lie with you.
him, has with him in any public place
any offensive weapon shall be guilty of If you walk down the street with a
an offence. The reference to without ballpoint pen in your hand with the
lawful authority or reasonable excuse intent of using it as a weapon if
refers to the carrying of the weapon attacked, then you will probably use it,
and not the manner of its use, as you have focussed your mind on
therefore an article carried on the its new function. You wont use it,
off-chance of being attacked has been however, if it is in your pocket. Many
held to constitute an offence. weapons can be improvised for use in
particular exposed occupations.
The law recognises, however, the Clipboards can be used by nursing
reasonable necessity to enlist every- staff, bailiffs and a variety of other
day items as weapons of opportunity, people whose occupation puts them at
in your defence of self, others and in the sharp end of dealing with
the prevention of a crime - an act potentially aggressive people.However
which must happen spontaneously unless you have determined in your
and have no premeditation. mind that a particular implement is now
going to function as a weapon you will
Reasons Against only ever comb your hair with it - not
However, when an attack happens the with the clipboard obviously.
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could be brought into play should bottom of your bag may just as well be
anything occur. Heavy ash trays, at home if you are surprised as you
reading lamps, bottles, glass jars, turn a corner. Im ambivalent about
shoes, kitchen knives, a fork etc. If you attack alarms as many are ignored.
go for them then be prepared to use They can sound like car alarms which,
them- dont let it be taken off you. If as we know, everyone ignores and
you felt frightened enough to feel the unless it is to hand or attached to your
need to pick up a weapon then that is bag it will be of little use. Where you
sufficient. Know how you will get out are exposed to a less than good
quickly if you have to. Dont lock situational risk as a lone female
yourself in the house, even to the working late or having an isolated
extent you keep the front door walk, then anything will help, but make
unlocked, remember your threat is sure you have the alarm to hand, throw
inside with you not on the outside. it away from you when you are
Trust your feelings about someone attacked and scream at the top of your
and dont be invited inside someone's voice. Fight, gouge, kick and strike and
home unless you are confident in your everything combined may help turn
own abilities and very happy about the things your way.
person. Dont simply trust to appear-
ances. The worst ones, look like the Summary
best, they wouldnt get away with what What counts in self defence is Control
they do otherwise. and Simplicity. It is impossible to deal
in sufficient detail to include all aspects
There is a good saying that - The pen of control - although weve touched on
in the hand is worth two knives in that aspect of control which relates to
the scabbard which is quite true, ourselves i.e.. fear and adrenalin. How
providing as we have said the pen is in we can control others though, is
fact in your hand in the first place. In another matter, for another time.
the UK we have nothing like the range Simplicity is what Fairbairn knew in the
of non-lethal options available in the early part of the century and what
States or even on the Continent. CS others like Col. Rex Applegate still
spray, stunguns, batons are all legal in teaches, as a consultant in CQB to
many countries of the world and can both the American Police and Military -
certainly give you an edge. For any to this despite the fact he is in his early
work, even a personal attack alarm it 80s. The American Marine Corps
has to be to hand. Anything in the officers (who were in Shanghai at that
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time) knew when they developed situation and whilst martial arts, in
within the USMC their effective World various guises plays its part, they know
War 2 techniques, from what they that traditional single style systems
learned both there and in Scotland as wont work. This view is nowhere
well as the techniques they were better expressed than in the teachings
developing themselves. of Charles Nelson - a former US
Marine, who was in the first landings at
The USMC has been a breeding Guadalcanal. He is now in his 80s and
ground par excellence for realistic going strong. Acknowledged as one of
combat, producing some outstanding the most clinically effective CQC
individuals. Two, who should be practitioners, yet as Bob Kasper once
mentioned, are Charles Nelson of remarked, couldnt get a mention in
New York and John Kary. I came traditional martial arts magazines.
across both of these exemplars of
street combative skills through my old John Kary is another walking
friend Peter Robins. Peter is the UKs phenomenon and even with no sight
leading exponent of the WW2 and deaf in one ear, is actually
DEFENDU system developed by contracted to the US Marines as a
Fairbairn and Sykes and is the civilian consultant to teach unarmed
acknowledged leading historian on the combat. Severely wounded in
F-S story. Vietnam, he is a believer in simple,
As a contributing editor and member of powerful and effective techniques,
the American elite Gung-Ho Chuan aimed at vital parts of the body with
Association (GHCA), Peter is able to aggression and a ruthless attitude.
keep a foot on both sides of the John runs American Combatives Inc.,
Atlantic, with regard to developments whilst Charles Nelson teaches what
in CQC. Founded by former Marine has become known as the Nelson
Robert (Bob) Kasper, the GHCA is an System.
organisation of Marine Corps veterans
who research, practise and teach CQC Others around the world who have
techniques based on the curriculum worked hard to keep the FS work
used by the elite Allied military units of alive are Geoff Todd in New Zealand,
WW 2. Matt Tempkin in New York and Carl
Cestari in New Jersey.
They teach and train in the knowledge
of what really happens in a combat
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S
Defence - many read- Karate moves but without a white Gi
ers who have fallen and done in street clothes which I
foul of the bandwagon assume is supposed to make us
self defence books will believe they will work in the street.
be familiar with the
term street fight. Let me make the Remember this - if you are being
point that self defence has nothing to fronted by someone and you move
do with a street fight even if I fully into some stance and bring your hands
understood what one of those is. What up hell be all over you like a rash.
happens in these books is that you
see a photo, or an artists impression How you stand in most normal
of two fighters squared off in front circumstances IS your stance -
of each other in a boxing or martial because thats probably how you will
arts type stance, with the arms in a be standing if you are attacked. If
guard position. you are walking down the street
and you are stopped by someone
The book will then take endless pages wanting directions, who then wants
talking about advantages of the stance, your wallet, you are NOT going to
how to move smoothly in it, how to move into a fighting stance. The whole
block and counter, where to hit etc etc point is this - you must be able to
etc. This is just another martial art by execute all your techniques, with
any other description - it is not self impact from what I call a Social
defence. You would be better simply Stance.
buying a book on boxing. I call this
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Also - when you do adopt a fighting in a brawl you may be unlikely to win.
stance you telegraph what you know If I am ever fronted by someone who
and how competent you are or, more I know to be dangerous, the last thing
importantly, are not (what I call the I ever want to do is to forewarn him
Peter Sellars look). If you are facing of my intentions or my competence.
some thug who has some combative You must think of it this way - if you
skills he can tell immediately when end up in a fighting stance exchanging
you raise your hands to guard that blows - then you have done something
you are a novice, but more critically very badly wrong. Those people who
by doing just that you raise his are trying to teach you to edge into a
favourable stance have no and
I repeat NO practical experience of
how a serious confrontation will
unfold. You start to edge into a
stance and they will head butt you
unconscious.
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your toes are on the edge of a cliff One way I have to bring the point
with a 200 foot bungee jump to do. Its home is to paint a scenario. I pose a
the same physical action, but now problem to a policeman having given
your ability and decision to actually him a piece of paper to be able to
take that simple step is now no longer work the solution out on. His problem
an easy one and the reason is is that he is alone facing a pair of
CONSEQUENCES. suspects he has stopped. One of the
pair is known to him and he has form,
In this case its the consequence of is known to be violent, known to
death if the elastic doesnt hold. If your carry a knife and both have reacted
mates are encouraging you, you will aggressively. He feels there are
get them well back so they cant grounds to detain them, but the
push you and then youll say situation is worsening. There may be
something like when the big hands the need to pre-empt any overtly
on 15 seconds past, Ill go, then rather aggressive action, particularly if the
too soon it is at the 15 second point one who is known to carry makes a
and you still havent jumped. If you move and before assistance arrives.
allow the situation to continue you will
probably never go and so it is in However, there are other considera-
the street when trying to come to a tions - is it going to be defensible when
decision to act. viewed later by senior management,
will it work?, how should it be done,
Like the bungee jump you try and which one should he go for. At this
psyche yourself into it, but often you point the one who may have a knife,
still cant make it work. Even Police then starts to reach into his waist band
Officers are dogged with it in the -but what for. His eyes are staring and
street and like all of us there are aggressive - the problem is what to
more consequences which weigh our do?
decision making down and that's
the consequences of the law and The police officer goes away with the
for Police the consequences of paper and a pen to list all the pros, for
disciplinary action and having to action and all the cons. When I next
justify their actions to someone who speak to him I ask him how it the
is probably trying to cover his own decision making has gone. Good is
arse. the reply, I spent some time looking
up the law, analysing the potential
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see it coming - you will lose the as you are first approached your
initiative and it becomes a drag-out, emotion of fear or trepidation acts on
knockdown, brawl, where both parties your adrenal system, the physical
can suffer serious injuries. Also, if it effects of that make you worry and
turns into a brawl, you lose the become more fearful which causes
management of the situation and his further adrenal release and so on! You
mates will be all over you like a rash. must break this vicious cycle.
The reason for that is the onset of
tunnel vision that we discussed above. Second, fear in its purely emotional
state, is very close to aggression. With
Fear Control some pre-visualisation and practise, if
I cannot stress enough the importance possible, you can learn to convert fear
of developing your own action trigger, into anger and aggression. Both these
because without it you will continue emotions, when you are in a conflict
to be faced with uncertainty and situation, are good to have, albeit it
inactivity. But how do we overcome in a controlled way. The old army
fear? First, as I have stressed, try and bayonet practise of charging the
analyse the effects the two very dummy was not simply to train in
distinct human reactions i.e. the technique, but rather to develop the
emotion of fear and the chemical necessary aggression which was
responses of adrenalin. What we think required to overcome the fear of
of as a fear reaction when our legs charging the enemy head on and
shake, our mouths dry up, our engage in hand to hand combat.
breathing gets shallow and rapid, our
stomach knots and we suddenly feel The main problem, when we are faced
exhausted are more attributed to the with aggression and high threat is
effect of unused adrenalin than to our that we try to keep a hold on our
fear emotion, although you must emotions in an endeavour to keep a
remember it is our fear response which hold on ourselves. Because we are
has triggered the adrenal release. near to breaking we grip hold very
tightly of all our emotions, fear not
First, do not leave a situation to being the least of them, but in doing so
develop and go on too long before you we keep too tight a hold on our
act. The longer these effects continue most powerful emotion at this time -
the worse you become and there is a aggression. We say we are in control
rebound effect. By this I mean that of ourselves, which is true, but only to
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a. Hands
Your hands can give so much
away. If you can talk without the
need to bring your hands into play
then hold them loosely at your
sides or clasped in front.
I, on occasions prefer this,
particularly if I feel a body shot
is an option then I want the
With no hand movement to link with dialogue, any
movement of the hands will be picked up by the hands to come to the target under
aggressor on the left (contrast this with the opening
shot from the combination shown later). his eyeline. If I need a guard, but
dont want to forewarn him of their
Muscles tense (shoulder & stomach). use I will talk with my hands i.e. I will
Eyes narrow or squint. wave them about in a very articulated
Heart & pulse rate increases dramat- way. This gives me a natural barrier,
ically. conditions the aggressor to accept
Adrenaline and Dopamine released them and puts them close to my target
into the bloodstream. and ready to move. Also should his
hands come up I can trap very easily.
General Considerations
b. Stance
Body Language You must make the best of what you
Signals we send out can be non- are given when it comes to stance. If
verbal, or as we say through our body you are caught square and if you try
language. If you are attacked from and move to improve your situation
behind by someone who was hiding in then you will telegraph your intentions
the bushes this aspect plays no and hell be all over you. If you are
regard, but if you are confronted in the leaning on a bar when someone
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approaches why move? By not and in this context the eyes can
altering your stance you lull him into a convey more than the voice does.
false security and you can and should
be able to explode from any position d. Voice
when you so decide. If your lucky you Your voice can be the principle
may be able to adopt a 3/4 stance weapon in your physical armoury.
i.e. at 45 degrees to the aggressor Used correctly it can be superior to any
with your strong side to the rear. Hold punch or kick. Police officers know and
yourself erect- If you start to crouch, are taught the skill of control by verbal
then again you start to telegraph intent. abilities. They know that on many
occasions the safe Reactionary Gap
c. Eyes may be many feet, which leaves them
You may read elsewhere that you with only their voice to be able to
should lock your gaze with your obtain compliance. The use of your
assailant. There cannot be any hard voice is similar to how you use your
and fast rule on this. People differ in eyes. You can either psyche him out
their individual ability to hold or suck him in. Used aggressively in
someone's gaze and often if you force conjunction with your eyes you can
yourself to do this you will accelerate finish a confrontation before it starts.
the onset of tunnel vision. Also if you Be sure, however that you can carry it
are skilled at acting you may want to off - if you cant then you can have
avert your gaze briefly to make him given the game away and lost any
think you are frightened. If you need to advantage of a pre-emptive strike.
get him closer you wont do it with If you shock him back and he goes into
strong eye contact. As many people a guard position and comes at you
will attest you will not be hit with his then you have a fight on your hands
eyes, so by watching them you will and it is no longer self defence- I say
miss what he is going to hit you with. I again it is a fight.
agree with this. Personally I dont like
long eye contact as it promotes tunnel When first approached keep your
vision and allows you to miss other voice firm, but low. Never plead unless
body signals. The reverse is true if I it is part of the wider game Ive been
turn on the aggressive dialogue. If I talking about, that is, to lull him into a
have decided to psyche him out by false sense of security. Let others who
use of your voice then this has to be know you be the judge of whether an
backed up with aggressive eye contact aggressive approach will work. If you
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have a face like a robbers dog and Line ups can be even more critical
a voice to match, then you may be able when facing multiple opponents. If you
to carry it off. If, however, you look like have the space then you need to
an art historian whose only aggressive create more. I will look at this in more
act has been to fight sleep! then you detail later. At the point when you
may not pull it off. Others will tell strike, if you havent got your line-up
you how they perceive you in an correct, your distance for the second
aggressive context and be guided by opponent may be wrong and you may
them. If every time you shout at the need a low kick to enter, prior to your
kids they roll about the floor laughing main finishing technique. Very few
then another approach may be people can ever win fighting three
advisable. people, but you can certainly win
fighting one person three times,
Line-Ups especially if you act pre-emptively and
We all know that to be effective with the first two are out of the game in,
strikes, kicks or to grapple we need literally, split seconds. That having
our opponent in the most favourable been said, Ive found from experience
position. This position is a combination that after the first one goes, from a
of not only range, but body position. single strike and without you breaking
If your opponent is square on to you into a sweat, or so they think, the fight
many options open up with frontal has usually gone out of them.
assault and some round techniques,
probably to the head. If he is side on or Line-ups are as much to do with how
off to one side of you then matters may we hold our hands, but remember -
be less favourable. Often we have to you will have been caught in a social
work with what we are given. If you are stance and any overt movement on
leaning on a bar when someone your part to move into a more
aggressively approaches and starts to preferable fighting stance will be
talk then it may be impossible to effect noticed and acted on swiftly. You have
much change to how you are both set to be able to work with power shots
without telegraphing your intentions. from an upright stance with your
This is why you must practise hands held in a casual position as
situational strikes from a variety of we show on the Powerstrike and
angles and positions which do not Powerkick videos.
favour the techniques.
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base to develop your action trigger. to move towards you - the choice is
If you base your own trigger on a word to wait and let it happen close by or
then you must get the association look aggressive and say - dont even
between this word and an explosive think about getting in my bastard face
physical strike. or Ill fucking rip yours off - now fuck off
and dont bother me! - all at a 15 foot
As a weapon your voice transcends range. Big bluff maybe, but it could
every distance you may find yourself work or be the start of your mental
at. You can use it at twenty feet or domination. Done without confidence
at two inches as you grip someone by and the right aggression, however, and
the throat and talk into their ear. Voice youre in big trouble. It works in
control requires the most confidence the street when you are barged
for any technique. Remember the intentionally by someone looking for
trouble. Never let them get
the aggressive ascendancy.
Remember what I said about the
eyes. You cannot have one
without the other when you elect
to use the voice aggressively as
the eyes convey the belief of your
seriousness.
2. Kicking Range
Kicking is like grappling in the
street, a last resort! Forget all the
fancy high kicks you see in films
and in the Dojo, they will backfire
on you in a self defence scenario.
Clothing, footwear and terrain all
act as inhibitors to kicking in the
street or elsewhere. By far and
Kicking means low and powerful. Never kick any away though kicks are inherently
higher than where the fingertips end!
slow, require compensatory equal
example we used in an earlier chapter and opposite body movement to make
of the man looking over at you and them move, giving a big telegraph
talking to his mates and then he starts of your intent. Even an unskilled
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deliver a scoring blow from as far out think that my opponent knows I am
as possible so as to be out of range looking at his jaw.
of a counter. In the street we need
our body weight behind the punch Dont believe the bollocks you may
and need to be at an uncomfortable read elsewhere about the centreline
and closer range than you may train of the face i.e. the nose and front of
at the Dojo. Also the further away the face. These are pain not shock
you are the greater the chance of inducing and do not incapacitate. If you
him seeing it coming. This brings me are going to go for an eye strike all
to another point and that is target well and good, but I am of the opinion
area. For many years my punches that eye strikes require fine motor
have always been delivered as body skills. They are a small target, but
shots.
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From a position where you are talking with .... hell get the knee to the upper thigh and
your hands to a heavy slap on the opponents that should certainly be the end of things.
forearms, at the same time as an explosive The whole combination should be over in 2 -
projection forward .... 3 seconds.
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Head
Whilst the head is one of the Going to the ground doesnt mean that impactive tech-
niques have finished, just the opposite. If you do go to
primary weapons in the arsenal the ground, your first priority is to fight your way back
of the street thug, there is always up - not to look good on the ground.
a great reluctance to employ it by target presents itself in this area. If
people who are facing violence. In the someone is bent over then, although
next chapter we will look at the actual there is a natural target, their stomach
technique of delivery, but suffice it to muscles are compressed and hard and
say that the head is a very practical you effectively impact with the flat top
proposition when at that very close part of the thigh not the knee point.
range. Only those who have not had to use
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it in a street situation would teach When it comes to a clinch and you are
it this way. still standing, then dont get caught
playing the game. By this I mean
The target for knees is the thigh, both getting into a pull and push scenario,
front and inside. Outside is ok, but as you will tire easily and whilst you
you will find that it seldom presents are occupied with this problem his
itself as often as the inside, where, in mate puts a knife in your kidney or
fact, most damage can be done. To a bottle over your head. You must
use a knee effectively you need a good have him off his feet in a split second
high lift and you are likely to have or you must push back and blast in
moved to the next range if you again with head, knee or elbow. The
are using knees and that is vertical fact you are locked up doesnt mean
grappling. you cannot impact and with the double
hip such close proximity is not a
hindrance to delivering impact. Also
6. Standing (vertical) Grappling as with the double hip body impact
Range if used correctly will put him down
It happens in boxing matches, karate immediately as with my Powersweep.
tournaments and most punching and This and other specific techniques
kicking systems and that is that when I will go into in the next chapter.
a few blows are exchanged then a Martial Arts:-
clinch happens and a standing grapple Judo
takes place. In these events though, a Ju-Jitsu
referee will come to the aid of both Sambo
parties and after separating them the Wrestling
fight will continue. Not so in the street
or the bar - you are on your own 7. Groundwork Range
and you had better know how to Part 3 of the Pavement Arena series
grapple. At this stage you are not of videos deals with grappling and is
on the floor and now all your efforts correctly titled Grappling The Last
should be directed at keeping things Resort.
that way. Going to the ground may
be a very salutary experience unless Over the past few years we have all
you are familiar with the feelings been impressed with the effectiveness
and arena. of grappling when put to the test
against other martial systems, and the
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street or bar, not only do you not officer. We have looked previously
know what attack will come, but you do at the nature of fatal injuries, but we
not know when. If you wait to block you also need to look at a general range
will be taken by surprise. of everyday injuries.
Blocking and countering is for the A survey carried out by a South Wales
martial arts in jeans types!, who police force some few years ago where
make it up as they go along, imagining 93% of injured officers responded to a
how they think it happens in reality. questionnaire.
As you will see we can use deflects
and slaps, but only as a part of Out of 270 total injuries, 137 were due
entering and as the transition to to assault. The distribution of injuries in
close the range, especially if we total were, in descending order, the
slightly misjudge matters. There is head, neck, back, shoulder area
also the problem of
control. Doormen are
advised by the police
to use lower force
options such as control
and restraint, but
how effective are such
techniques. In the next
chapter we will look at
alternatives.
Assault Injuries
I have already talked
about Purpose and we
looked at why we may
You must practice eye strikes until they become second nature and
be faced with having you must therefore have suitable equipment to train with. Photo
courtesy Martial Arts Illustrated magazine.
to use hand to hand
combative skills. It is a violent world and then moving down the body.
out there and if we look at one narrow Assaults actually accounted for 81%
arena it may help to emphasise how of all head injuries with 19% due to
things are in reality. In this instance head butts.
the Purpose is having to be a Police
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The main causes of head injuries were butts, and bites. No part of the body
as follows:- was spared.
Punches 95
Head butts 48 The above, although occasioned to
Kicks 29 serving police officers is useful as
Kicks & Punches 10 an overview in that we, as civilians,
Thrown objects 12 could equally expect the same sort of
Scratched 10 pattern of attacks to occur against us.
Struck with weapon 4 The point I want to make, however,
Elbow 4 from the above is that when we are
Bite 3 standing in front of someone who is
Not specified 75 going to strike, we have no idea, until it
Assaults accounted for 81% of total happens, what they are going to
head injuries suffered. The survey do - hence the need, in most
disclosed that in relation to the number circumstances, to be pre-emptive.
of officers and assaults which had If you dont the chances are you simply
occurred , each officer had a 20% will not see it coming, particularly as
chance of being attacked. The assault they will disguise it.
injuries came from struggling with
offenders, from punches, kicks, head Targets
The above survey brings us nicely
on to target areas. Also once we have
looked at Ranges and Tools, the next
most obvious aspect of
the physical confrontation is to
look at where we will apply these
tools.
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fists and punched. To stop a man your fingers into the mouth, avoiding
punching is nigh on impossible. To get the teeth and pull sideways.
him, reactively, under stress to
unclench his fist and poke someone in Eye strikes from a distance can require
the eye, becomes a near certain fine motor skills due to the accuracy
impossibility. needed and can often fail as a
consequence of stress. Even the
Women are often no better and when slightest reaction from your opponent
the subject of eye strikes and gouges and a shift of the head can throw the
arises. Although they find the strike off target.
inclination to punch far less strong,
if at all, they have considerable hang Eye attacks are better delivered as
ups about the validity of the eyes an adjunct to a palm strike to the
as a suitable target for them, as a face or jaw, where the thumb or
consequence of squeamishness. Most fingers can have a target of their own
women, even when being assaulted as you hit the jaw or face. You will
expressed how difficult. if not always get some complimentary
impossible they found it to inflict effect if you hit the nose as the
damage to someone. eyes will water, pain is produced, but
it is not a stopper. Nor is the upper lip
Eye strikes can be delivered at or philtrum, and most tales of a strike
punching range and the straight here being a killing blow are
fingers give a few more valuable apocryphal, particularly given the
inches of reach to the strike. This will force required and the accuracy
be a flicking action not a gouge which needed under stress. Remember the
will happen at a closer range. Long smaller the target the greater risk of
range strikes are used to create a very failure.
effective diversion as an eye strike and
the consequent physical responses, Neck
pretty much disable your opponent We know the neck is a suitable target
from carrying on. Gouging will take area, but for what! Certain self defence
place at much closer range, usually systems advocate strikes to the side
when within grappling distance, either of the neck and there is certainly
standing or certainly when on the good physiological evidence to support
ground. Along with eye gouges are this as a target area. A strike to the
mouth pulls, where you can hook anterior part of the neck, back on each
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side from the larynx can cause primarily directed at this area with
unconsciousness and it can be secondary impact points. This also
delivered with the edge of the hand or brings in the Clavicle, which is
the lower part of the forearm, a susceptible to being broken with
weapon or a shin should occasion a strike from the front. A bottom fist
demand. My concern has always or the back slap can both cause
been for street defence that your damage to this long thin bone. There
striking weapon, be it palm edge or have been cases where a broken
outside of the forearm is effectively clavicle has punctured the subclavian
in a cross draw position. By this artery causing death. On a less serious
I mean that you are hitting the level a broken clavicle means a totally
opposite side of your opponents body disabled arm.
with arm e.g. left hand side of
the neck/right hand. To do it
effectively requires a large
movement which can be seen or
a short movement which has
a high probability of striking
the throat area not the neck.
A natural swing with the striking
arm to the same side of the neck,
if someone is facing you will
put the strike too far round
the side.
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The neck and throat are targets for swelling to the throat and cause
chokes, strangles and the clawing breathing problems.
technique (you can see these in
many Japanese Kata movements) My own preference, for many years
when in close and these need has been the Powerslap, delivered
separate consideration in the next to the side of the face. It is just that
chapter. Strangles are not allowed now a slap- not a cupped hand, not a palm
as an option for British police officers strike - a slap! The difference with
to use, which is a great shame. mine and the way I sometimes see
Correctly applied, a strangle is the slaps taught is that mine works and
technique that can bring even the most has worked on a good number of
violent individual to a state of passive occasions. It is a one shot strike, with
unconsciousness. Dangers exist in no lasting or residual injury. I cover this
its application and deaths have in more detail in the next chapter.
occurred due to a strangle becoming
a choke, badly applied, where the The Information Exchange
result has been a crushed Larynx and When teaching I endeavour to try
subsequent death. and make people understand what,
in simplistic terms, happens when
Over the past few years the reluctance we strike someone. Essentially all
to allow officers the option to strangle we do is pass information from your
has increased with the cases of deaths body, via your striking weapon and his
due to positional asphyxia where target area. If you think of a punch to
people have been restrained for long the head which hits hard bone, you
periods on their front with their hands have only two very small transmitters
handcuffed behind. of information (your knuckles) to a
small part of his head. Only a small
The result of a badly applied neck portion of his nerve endings will
strike could be serious if your only collect the information an pass it to
intent was to create the conditions to the central nervous system (CNS).
escape, as death could be the actual At this point the signal is translated to
result. Remember what we are trying a pain to brain message which your
to provide in this book is a variety of hit opponent decides, in the heat of
and run techniques not a close quarter battle, that he can cope with and fights
battle system. Also a strong hit on the on, particularly with the added benefit
neck can still cause secondary of pain numbing chemicals in the
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system. Certain parts of the body, thing to me for some reason every
i.e. pressure point have a force black dot I saw on the diagram
multiplier effect where the signal is escapes me. For me, heavy layers
increased many times, sometimes of clothing, particularly leather jackets
even to the extent that the CNS will always posed a problem when thinking
shut the whole system down without about fine tune techniques. What I
even asking permission form the have found on a more objective stance
person. is that all of us are built differently
and the black dots are in different
This is the effect we are after and places on different people. People
this is where the Powerslap is so also have the unfortunate knack of
successful. It transfers huge amounts differing tolerances to both pain and
of information from a very large nerve stimulation. You can see it
surface area to an equally large and with the people who can ignore
reasonably sensitive surface area incapassitant spray like CS or function
i.e. the whole of the side of the face whilst taking a few hundred thousand
causing an overload of information volts from a stun gun. What I do
that the CNS refuses to know after many years of it working
process - hence the knockout effect. for me that if I can put my body
Some systems teach the application weight into my opponents body and,
of force to much smaller pressure hopefully, make the transfer via his
point areas with excellent success, it solar plexus he will go down.
just so happens that I have never
had personal confidence in their I will also attack the Floating Ribs.
application and I do tend to stick There are times when an assailant
with what has worked for me for holds his arms in such a way that a
many years. straight line punch is unintentionally
blocked on line to the target. If this is
Torso the case I will use a rib strike, with
As with the head, face and neck the impact driving up. The punch is
we see in numerous martial arts texts still delivered in a straight line, but
where to strike the body. We are I have put in a body shift to change
shown anatomical points and the the angle of attack. With any low
resultant effect is highlighted, but for torso shots either to the front or rear
some reason when I have someone you are targeting the internal organs,
in front of me bent on doing harmful Kidneys, Spleen, Liver and also the
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Heart. With the exception of the where caution must be advocated. Ive
Heart , damage to the others only seen people take a substantial kick to
causes long term injury and wont, in the groin and still fight on. The effects
most cases achieve the immediate of a groin strike can take time to have
result you need. an effect and you may not get the
instantaneous stop you need.
Arms & Legs
The arms and legs have always Groin strikes can be delivered with
been some of my main target areas. hands and feet, but often the edge
The Inner Bicep, Upper inside forearm, hand strikes you need to make a blow
Elbow Joint, Outer Thigh, Outer and work do not come naturally to
Inner Knee, Inner Thigh. This was a untrained people. Whenever you work
consequence of door work where if with people on self defence you
you could take the initiative you could discover that there is a blind spot
invoke a lower force option where about groin attacks. Kicking to the
the impact effectively took a limb out groin breaks the golden rule of never
of the fight. If a man cant lift his arm higher than where the finger tips end
he cant punch and if a man cant lift and on many occasions there is no
his leg he cant kick. On occasions he clear shot for the foot to get between
cant even stand. In the next chapter the upper thighs and into the groin.
we will look specifically at how we
make strikes to the arms and legs Where you can make a groin kick work
work, but they are highly is where there has been a double grab
effective.Essentially we endeavour to from the front. By pulling back you will
get an involuntary motor response by make a person put one foot forward
impacting on an area of the leg or thereby creating the space you need
arm which causes the limb to for a groin strike. Be aware, however,
become dysfunctional and to spasm that your opponent can feel a kick
involuntary. There is also a deep pain about to take place by the way your
response heightening the overall body moves and have time to turn
effect, but it is not the pain alone which away from the kick. Its not as easy as
achieves the greatest effect. many people make out. Most martial
art trained people and many street
Groin fighters are prepared for kicks to
The often primary target illustrated in the groin.
many self defence books, but one
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C H A P T E R F O U R T E E N
ou must have some Its a tall order to test what you propose
Y
selection criteria for against the above, but if you dont
assessing what will you have not recognised the nature
work and what of real world violence. Bob Kasper
techniques or combi- of the GHCA made a very succinct
nations must be remark during an excellent article he
excluded from your programme. This wrote on the high level of aggression
was well summed up by Peter needed in street confrontations. He
Robins of Combined Oriental Defendu said, Pour every ounce of energy
Arts (C.O.D.A.). The following points into that initial strike! Take him out!
are not listed in order of importance If you approach your training like a
as all are equally as critical as the street encounter, you wont
other: approach a street encounter like
1. Can you apply this move under you are training.
stress?
2. Does it take into account his What I dont want to lose sight of is
probable response? that this book is about self defence,
3. Does it take over the opponents not Close Quarter Battle, a separate
body and mind? subject in its own right and one the
4. Does it take into account a difference author and a colleague will be tackling
in height, weight and skill? at some future date. Self defence is
5. Does it have a natural follow up? about hit and run the second about
6. Does it rely on a high skill level? stay and finish. Our primary aim in
7. Can it be taught in a matter of self defence is simply to buy time
minutes rather than hours? to get out of there. If you are a
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policeman your goal may be exactly important, but first I would like to
the same or you may have to stay dwell on some general rules about
and make an arrest, but your initial defensive posture.
object has been to create the correct
opportunity for this to happen safely. I mentioned above about being caught
off guard, in a variety of social
Defensive Postures situations and not being able to do
Let me try and set the scene. You may much about the situation. In fact we
be walking down the street and are are never caught off guard. We are
confronted by someone threatening only in a poor defensive position
you. You may be in a pub or club, if we think we are, which actually
sitting or leaning on the bar when makes it a problem more to do with
you are fronted by someone who perception, than a physical position. It
is out for trouble and has picked on may help if I outline how I deal with
you. You may be a police officer who the problem. I know that during any
for some suspicion has stopped day 99.9% of positions I may be in
someone on the street. In all these would seem inadequate from which
cases think about how you are to defend myself if at that time I was
standing or sitting and then try and attacked.
think how inappropriate your traditional
martial arts stances are going to be. Remember though that we have
And by traditional I mean the longer, already covered in great detail the
punch or kick delivery stance. psychological problem of expectation.
We also looked at the need to come
In all these circumstances what you to terms with the problem that where
have is as good as it is going to get. we feel most safe we are most at
Any overt move to improve your risk, and if we can inculcate these
stance, rise off the stool or bar, lifting two factors into our minds on a
the arms into a guard position will permanent basis we are essentially
all illicit an immediate physical never actually off guard.
response. So what, if anything, can
we do to improve matters and create There was a very good book produced
some defensive barrier while we try by two former American policemen,
our best to diffuse and control the about street survival which opened with
situation. Further on we will look at the lines - Ask yourself, how many
how are hands become critically times could I have been attacked
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today and what could I have done arts stance. This is for the films and
about it. the Dojo. I risk repeating myself, but
you are not there to fight - he may be
I know if I am in a pub, restaurant, better at you when it comes to a
exiting a shop, getting in the car, square go and any stance you find
turning a corner or any transition, that yourself in is good enough to work
there is the potential for an approach from. Believe me a long traditional
by someone and escalating physical stance actually inhibits the transmis-
conflict. As a consequence I am sion of impact as it holds the hip too
always balanced, I expect always to far to the rear to allow the bodyweight
be in a short (social) stance, I will to move into the opponent.
have one or both hands occupied,
I will also have to be alert whilst When Im teaching people defensive
engaged in a task or action and that tactics, where the students have some
I will position myself in any fixed martial experience they always want
location which affords me a wide to shift into a stance and their hands
view of my immediate environment. to come up. This just gives the game
away. If, as you will read, you can
What I know is that I have achieved use some mental programming you
the best within the environment I am create the best conditions to your
given. I will never sit with my back to advantage, so as to make you
the door or the main bulk of people, effectively in charge
I will take an upright chair in prefer-
ence to a low soft easy chair, I will sit Also remember we are wanting to lull
in a way which affords me a swift exit the other person into a false sense
from my position and I will always of security and if believes that we
know that should I be approached I are in a poor position to be able to do
have a physical tool in my armoury much then the scales tip further in
which will work at the angle I may our direction. I want him to gain
need it to. My view is If you are alert no inkling as to my abilities or
then you are in a good stance . intentions.
Try it next time you are out and about. Programming the Opponent
You must get out of the habit though From the very first moment you
in thinking that you must always be sense you have a problem with the
able to get into a traditional martial person in front of you it is essential
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that you begin getting him used to target area. This allows him to block
certain things, in other words you even a very fast punch and make it
begin to programme him to accept look good. Move the attacker one foot
certain actions as natural and, most closer and dont tell the defender
importantly, non-threatening. I have where he is going to hit and see how
said elsewhere that I dont block in confident he is. If the strike is not
the street and this is true and also not pulled he will be hit.
true. My definition of a block, is how
you see the very traditional Japanese At only a few inches, or up to two
Karate and Ju-Jitsu blocks delivered feet away forget these blocks, as
with all the commitment that entails. action will beat the reactive block,
They are usually employed at an unless it is so telegraphed your
attacking technique which, when grandmother could have dealt with
practised in the Dojo, is delivered from it. But, that having been said, I
a good few feet away, where time still want to employ my hands as
and distance allow visual perception defensive feelers where they can
of the punch or kick, enabling the intercept any movement with a parry,
prior to me pre-empting his main
attack. A parry, unlike a block can hap-
pen from only inches from the
arm you strike. To be able to do this
it is no good if they are locked down by
my side or still stuck in my pockets.
They need to be out in front and
they need to be moving! Movement
is the key to the whole problem of
a defensive posture. But how do
you have them in front and moving
without causing him to react? The
answer is you TALK WITH YOUR
Keep your hands active, keep them in front and HANDS.
non-threatening. Get him used to them waving
around.
Talking Hands
block to work. In training sessions, We do this on many occasions, often
a defender invariably knows the attack without realising it. Sometimes though
which will be employed and also the under stressful conditions, say a job
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interview, we lock them in a fixed your normal body language and sees
position and talk without their benefit. them as no threat.
And a benefit it actually is.
Whatever you say, say it equally with
your hands. Compute his mind to
accept them waving around in front
of him. What you achieve is that
without him knowing it you can
actually creep your hands closer
to his face, or his own hands and
arms. From this position a power-
slap, trap, arm slap, or even punch
are just inches away from him. If
you leave it too late and you perceive
any movement from him they are
immediately in play and even to the
extent that you can push him back
At some point, let the hands come higher, usually,
associated with a gesture, or sign of submission. or slap his hands down should they
This has two benefits - 1. it momentarily makes
your opponent think hes won and 2. allows you start to move and then blast in with
that brief second of relaxation, essential for an
action trigger, stimulated by your chosen word. whatever is appropriate to your
positional situation.
Look at those Latin and Mediterranean
cultures where verbal expression is Parries
inseparably linked with gestures of Some things I have found over the
the hands and arms, even to big years are that very minor positions
sweeping gestures. This is the source and how you hold your palms can
of the programming we are going to create a threat or total passivity.
carry out. But the first thing you Showing someone your palms can be
must ensure is that your fear and provocative because it is unusual. It
other stressful factors dont force your is more common to face our palms
hands into a rigid posture that you towards our own face and keep the
cant overcome. What you want to back of our hands broadly facing the
achieve is an invisible guard, invisible other person or the fingertips. Palms
in the sense that he sees your hands forward says NO! and it can create
and even sees them quite close, but too strong a barrier too soon which
subliminally accepts them as part of prevents you getting your hands as
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close as you would like. If you are slap, particularly when I want to move
at an angle then it is actually OK to an arm away to either side. Ill do this
have one hand further forward than if he attempts to grab or point a finger
the other, e.g. left foot forward, then into my face. I once had a drunk in
the left hand can be more outstretched the street who came up to me quite
and it will not seem unusual. When threateningly and started swearing
you try this with someone you will and pointing aggressively in a way
suddenly see how close in fact your only drunks can do. I knew he would
lead hand can get. attach himself to me and if I walked
around him he would simply follow on
If you are holding a bag in one hand and keep up the barrage of abuse.
it is still OK, but try and make it the As he pointed a finger toward me
lead hand which you are able to put I slapped his forearm so hard he
forward without it being hindered. actually spun around and, at the point
Dont ever feel hindered though by when he was facing the other way,
carrying something as to release it as he actually walked off in the same
you strike takes a fraction of a second. motion as his spin, never said another
My parries are all variations of Wing word and never looked back, which
Chun deflections or the hard Pak Sau I thought was an admirable solution
to the problem. Since then Ive been a
firm believer in the heavy hand slaps.
Dont Be Second
I have always used a combination of
both the Wing Chun and the Hsing-I
parries. Of all the Internal Chinese
systems Hsing-I works for me as it
is a very linear style which I find
very much in accord with my straight
line attacks. The rising and falling of
the weight in strikes and very close
blocks and the similarity with
JKDs Rick Young demonstrates a parry and that it
Wing Chun in the simultaneous
is not necessary to have big, exaggerated block- block and strike make the two
ing movements, more typical of traditional
Japanese systems. Always keep your parries very complimentary. I always felt
close, as you would find in Wing Chun.
disadvantaged with the Karate way
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of block and then strike. At a few the dominance. The use of a heavy
inches between myself and my slap to a forearm, if timed well can
opponent there is not time to separate be a big distracter, but the distraction
the two movements. The Wing Chun lasts for maybe less than half a
and also the Hsing-I condition you second. Whilst it doesnt sound a
to act together if it is ever necessary lot, within that time scale you can have
to deflect and strike and make the followed up behind the slap/parry
two happen simultaneously. and put a full blown strike in.
Reality Of Speed
After the impact of the Powerpunch. The lead, left hip and The problem with any
shoulder has not gone back creating a door hinge around
which the bodyweight travels through the punch. weapon is that unless you
The opponent gets the full bodyweight and is blasted back.
Note the rotation of the jacket, still moving after the
carry it permanently in your
double-hip. hand the time taken to simply
an attack you will always be giving a c c e s s
the opponent the correct distance for it and get it into an active position
his best shots, you will be off balance takes too long. Too long against what?
and he will have good balance and Very simply too long to deal with a
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sucker punch which, even if you see body-weight to your opponent. Also
it coming which is unlikely, will travel you dont need a holster for it.
from a static position to its target
in less than .20 of a second. Visual Some Basics
perception and mental acknowledge- From many years of experience,
ment of the strike takes some .40 of punches used in a real life situation
a second and Ill repeat, thats if you must be straight and work in a piston
see it coming. like action. This satisfies two require-
ments. One that the energy is
There is simply no time even to block delivered to the target in the most
never mind get a weapon out. If your effective way as would be the case
opponent goes to reach under his with any piston and second there is
coat then its futile to try and outdraw no peripheral movement which the
him with a weapon of your own. There other persons eyes will pick up.
is an old adage which for me fits the
bill about police weapons - When all As humans we are particularly bad at
you have is a hammer every range finding which is a product of
problem begins to looks like a our eyes being too close together.
nail. Ill say no more. In other words we are unable to
accurately assess the movement or
So what we know is that a short even detect movement of an object
straight punch, delivered with no which comes directly towards us with
telegraphing will beat a persons visual no lateral movement. This is the basis
guard and his bodies reactive defence. of the sucker punch people literally
So what weapon is there that we can do not see it happening. To aid in
carry in our hand at all times which this happening the fist should never
we can bring into play without having be turned into a typical karate
to draw it form a carry position - youve position, rather it should be kept in
guessed it - our hand! It would help the vertical mode with the thumb on
everyone, particularly police officers if top. If you turn it you will see the elbow
they could gain more confidence in naturally wants to come out, particular-
the use of their empty hand skills, ly when close to an opponent. If you
before they misplace confidence in dont turn your fist it can be used as a
their ancillary weapon skills. Delivered straight punch from only a few inches
correctly a good punch is one of out from the target, which cannot
the best ways to deliver accurate happen if you turn it.
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For many years I have only ever into his body. But there is also the
punched to the centre of mass. The myth about the guard which is why,
solar plexus as we talked about in we are told, we need to bring our fist
the last chapter is a wide area back to a guard position. If we were
receiver of information and on or in a fight, where there is an exchange
fairly near the spot will do the trick. of blows then a guard is a good
My principal, standard punch is aimed thing, but we are not in a fight we
at this spot, with the application of are simply stopping one from taking
the double hip and door hinge place.
principles. It is usually a one shot
technique and if its not quite 100% Forget A Guard
effective the other person is shocked Having managed to get my hand to
sufficiently to give you an open target be at touching range why should I go
for your second and probably last hit. the trouble to bring it off his body. If
I bring it back I will only need to send it
I will vary the angle of the strike, even back out again if a second hit is
to bring it at an angle to the necessary and with the double hip I
opponent and onto his floating ribs, can get enough impact into an elbow
but predominantly it will go straight, shot (to drop an elephant) even with
the arm as a piston, still bent on my fingers touching his chest. Also
impact and with the fist in the vertical having struck and closed I am now in
plane. There must be no pull back as trapping range and I need my hands
you would in a traditional system or close to his arms and hands so as to
competition. The shock effect of the lock up, trap or slap away anything
transfer of my bodyweight needs which may be a threat. If he is going
time to disperse so my hand will stay to reach for a knife I want to trap
on his body until it moves away from the hand not be three feet away
my hand, not the reverse. Pullback, which allows him to get it out and start
as we are taught in martial art systems slashing away with it.
is wrong for the street.
Pulling ones hands back into a guard
When we send a signal from the brain position means you are now fighting.
to the fist telling it to pull back, this is Go back to him reaching inside his
actually done before the fist is at the waist band for a knife and then ask
target, so withdrawing power from the where you would like to have your
strike as distinct from letting it disperse hand to be able to trap his - thirty
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inches away in a guard position near express the effect in such scientific
your ear or with your fingers touching terms, but I know that it works. The
his chest and only some four inches secret of my impact lies with two
from his hand? factors I have referred to many
times - the double hip and the
At all costs we must avoid a fight and door hinge principal. Added to this
more require to be able to finish is the visualisation that every weapon
matters quickly. be it a punch, slap, kick, knee, trap
etc is nearly 50lbs in weight and is
Remember that we do not have a always relaxed. This is the very hard
traditional guard. There is never an part, as, whilst the two main principles
opportunity to work from behind a are physical techniques, the latter
guard in street situations and after one is attained through very difficult
you have pre-empted with a first hit mental practise. I would only say one
the effectiveness should be sufficient thing and that is if I can truly believe
for you to take control without the that my fist weighs 50lbs, then when
requirement of a fighting stance, I hit him he believes it weighs 50lbs.
hence the need not to pull the striking
hand back. Pullback only draws the Such techniques are impossible to
energy back out of the strike. All my teach from a book and I suggest you
strikes, kicks and parries are intended buy the two videos Powerstrike and
to disable the muscles or CNS
motor functions. A bodyweight punch
to a muscle notch on the arm will
simply disable the muscle from
innervating itself to action.
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Powerkick where you will get some pain level, damage assessment and
impression of the amount of impact impact point. Some information is not
delivered, but not as much as you passed on for conscious consideration
would if you were holding the impact such as being knocked out. The CNS
pad. deals with this itself and effectively
the brain shuts down. If, however, for
The Powerslap any reason, you do not get a knockout
This has been one of my favourite you simply pass information to the
techniques for many years. When you other person that he may be able to
hit someone on the head or face cope with, particularly if he is fired
with the points of one or two knuckles, up and the adrenalin is anaesthetising
you are sending information to the his pain response.
other persons Central Nervous
System (CNS) and so to their brain. By using the Powerslap you make
Some of that information they can this impossible. Instead of passing
consciously consider such as the information from two small, sharp
points through armour
plate, I pass massive
amounts of information
from the whole of the
palm of my hand to
the side of his face
which contains numer-
ous, sensitive informa-
tion gathering, sensory,
nerve endings. The result
is a complete shutdown.
The beauty of this is that -
1. There is no residual
damage and 2. any
onlookers will only ever
say well he only slapped
him. Unless you are
confident in the delivery
Mr Ku Yu Cheong breaking a layer of 12 bricks. Mr Cheong when
demonstrating his Iron Palm could, among a pile of bricks,
system be careful and this
selectively break any one at will, leaving that on the surface whole chapter should be
unmarked.
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I tense and innervate the quick, white An alternative which Karate people
twitch muscle fibres I will end up with always say they would use is a
a light strike. backfist, but these are the people
The Backslap who still hang a stocking by the fire-
The backslap is simply a variation of place on Christmas eve. Backfist has
the front slap to accommodate the the same problem as any hard strike
tactics of the situation. I have used it to the head, you are hitting armour
very successfully on people who have plate and unless you can look and
been attempting to blindside me target precisely then you will make
a balls of it. Fine targeting
requires fine motor skills and
these, by this point will have
deserted you. The backslap, on
the other hand requires no fine
skills, no targeting as the impact
area is large and it employs the
most effective body dynamics
linked with the heavy hand
principal taken from the Iron
Elbow strikes need to be close and it is essential to use Palm.
deception to bridge the gap to facilitate this happening.
Often, elbows are delivered from too far away. In this
photo, the target was 8 inches closer and the position
shown is that following the impact as the person is It is a golf stroke, but with the
blasted back.
back of the hand coming down
whilst their partner in crime occupied onto the target and so benefiting from
me from the front. I had previously the added effect of gravity. The shot is
tried to use a punch to take out the disguised because my hands are
person at the side, but found that the already in action talking and it takes
requirement for targeting visually no effort to drop the back of the hand
meant I had to take my eyes off the with the double hip onto the person.
opponent in front, which was exactly They simply collapse on the spot and
what they wanted. Also I found that to their legs actually go from beneath
achieve the necessary impact from the them. throughout the action you have
punch necessitated a body shift which not taken your eyes off the man in
gave the game away. front and you can now blitz in with
the combined head and shoulder hit.
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On the way in his hands will be coming opponent is heavily armoured with
up and this is where your trapping and muscle, fat and layers of clothing then
arm slaps now come into play. the only option is a face strike.
In most non-life threatening Photo 1. From the position shown earlier in the chap-
ter, the hands now impact heavily on your opponents
situations a face strike is forearm. This has an immediate shock effect and also
brings his head and in particular, the chin, forward.
unnecessary, but if a dangerous
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Photo 2. Blasting in! For the combined head Photo 4. In this case its going to be a low
and shoulder combination. The time kick to the thigh and you can create any
between the initial impact on the arms and distance you want by pushing him, or hold-
the main strike should be in fractions of a ing him if a knee strike proved a better
second. option.
Photo 3. After the strikes, make sure you Photo 5. Keep the leg straight and make
initially take hold of the opponent, unless it sure it swings into the thigh and is not
was your intention to blast him backwards. kicked into it, as would be the case with a
At this point you need to evaluate your traditional Roundhouse Kick. Simply let the
options - dont simply explode into a weight of the leg and a natural swing create
pre-arranged combination - identify a target. the impact.
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to create the opening for the main shot over. There are 2 points of contact -
if matters are not so arranged to the head on the chin and your
make the first one the knockout. shoulder point which impacts with the
solar plexus. If you want to blast
There are many ways of using the someone out of the way this is the
head, but few that I have seen that technique. If you are a policeman
dont place you in as much danger of doing a room entry and you have
being hurt doing it as your opponent someone attempting to grab you to
would be receiving it! The rule you prevent you going further this is the
should broadly adhere to is - always technique to use. You do not need to
strike with the part of your head take a hand off your weapon and as
above your eyeline and strike your you know the moment you try to push
opponent below his eyeline. someone off they simply grab your
Generally good advice, but there are arm and tie it up.
still some vulnerable areas such as
the temple areas which are above the Kicking
eyeline which you dont want to bring Kicks have role in self defence and
into play as a weapon in head strikes. used intelligently and to the right target
My own impact point is a broad band area they are good openers where
which runs along both sides of the top the gap you have is not appropriate for
of my head, from the hairline hand techniques or other strikes.
backwards, but excluding an approx
3 gap along the very top. Golden Rules
The golden rule I have for kicks in the
With this you are striking with the street is -never kick any higher than
hardest parts of the skull and by where a persons fingertips end.
tucking your head into your chest and In some cities in the UK this means
slightly dropping it on impact, the point your target area is about one inch
of contact with your opponent you above their ankle bone. If you keep to
should find is his chin. The delivery this rule you cannot get your leg
can be made from some distance caught, even if he manages to make a
away and by using the door hinge and grab for it he is leaning into it and
a sudden stop, made by hitting the you have sufficient downwards force
ground very hard with your foot, the and pull to wrench it free. Where to
top of your body, particularly the head strike?- I want to achieve a number of
keeps on moving as you effectively tip things. I want 1. pain, but pain alone is
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insufficient, therefore I want to create covers up and rushes in will not be hurt
2. a disability by effecting the nervous by a kick. Often the sheer lack of
system and I also want to 3. disrupt space militates against kicks as there
his stance and make any counter is no where to retreat to if you are
difficult, if not impossible, whilst at the rushed whilst you try to kick. Kicks
same time moving his body into a require considerable effort to move
more favourable line-up. I have to them into action and we need to look
constantly force myself to only think at why that happens and why such
leg kicks for the street. movement gives the game away.
This being the case you can probably Equal & Opposite
come to the conclusion yourself that Two separate actions occur normally
the only kick which will work is a when a person kicks. First heavy
round-house type kick. Front kicks, muscles are engaged to lift the leg
side kicks, spinning back kicks, hook whilst the arms start to move in
kicks - forget them all. If you are able opposition to the torque created by the
to front kick someone and not get in equal and opposite action. When I
big trouble he had probably left his teach kicks my statement all the time
white stick behind that day and had is kick with your arms. As stupid as
borrowed his nervous system from
a tortoise. Ive tried them all and I
consider myself an above average
kicker, but Ive discarded all but a
low round strike with my legs. I even
prefer to refer to it as a low round
strike and not even a kick.
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Photo 2. Dropping the weight, however, has the Photo 4. Now with the impact pad in place, you
effect of increasing your lead leg reach by can see, even with the front leg, how much
almost 6 inches. impact is achieved and the usual effect is to
widen your opponents stance and bring his head
forward.
Photo 3. The impact area can either be the Photo 5. The finish is up to you and could
inside of the knee or upper thigh. Either the leg either be impactive, as shown here or a
will move, as shown in photo 4 or the knee will restraint, to suit the occasion and risk. Without
give. Either way its your starter for 10. the use of impact pads or full armour, no feed-
back can be obtained.
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This is where kicking comes into its circumstances, unless there was the
own and that is in delivering sufficient imminent danger to your life, when
to disable the motor function of major even a strike directly to the throat must
muscle groups. But remember legs are be a force option.
primarily for two functions standing
and running. So keep them close to When working the doors I used on a
the ground - no high kicking and be number of occasions the throat grip
prepared to use them for their most where I would grip behind the larynx
important function which is to get you and hold. The pressure you need is
out of there at speed. just enough to keep your fingers in
place and any attempt by the person to
Strangles & Chokes pull your fingers away makes them
In the previous chapter we touched on close over the larynx as the fingers
the neck in terms of a suitable target are pulled past. It is one of the best
area for strikes, grips and strangles. ways I know of getting someone's
We also touched on chokes and it is attention while you talk to him at very
necessary to understand what we close proximity. For people who are
mean by the two terms. There is no very close, one short very sharp strike
official distinction between the two, followed by a grip to the throat can
simply that there is now a common finish all aggressive behaviour.
practise in the way we refer to both.
Both these techniques are part of the Strangles
wider sphere of necklocks some of A strangle applies pressure to both
which are killing techniques. the jugular vein and carotid artery,
thereby restricting both the arterial flow
Chokes to the brain and the venous return
Basically a choke cuts off the air from it. It is still unclear as to whether
supply to the brain with the force being unconsciousness is caused by restrict-
exerted by whatever means to the ing the flow more than the return,
throat. It can take up to 30 seconds suffice to say that whatever the cause,
and longer for a choke to work, it works. Additional effect is obtained
usually results in substantial choking, from the pressure on the vagus nerve
pain resistance and sometimes whose role is to monitor the flow of
serious damage. This doesnt make blood to the brain by exercising control
a choke wrong it just makes it over the heart.
indefensible in most defensive
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A strike to this area has always been regularly measured the percentage of
a working proposition as it stimulates blood saturation in the helix of the
the vagus nerve to shut down the ear; arterial blood pressure; finger
supply, as it is deceived into suspect- and forearm plethysmogram; skin
ing an overload. With a strangle, temperature; respiration; pupillary
especially one which is put on with reflex; reaction of urine; and cramps
some impact, vagus stimulation is a or convulsions. Both EEG and ECG
contributory factor to the onset of readings were monitored.
unconsciousness.
Finn reported that in the case of the
What we have today in terms of strangles the subjects fell unconscious
techniques are very much drawn from quickly without experiencing pain,
the world of Judo, having taken
many of the techniques from the
far older system of Ju-Jutsu. Judo
developed two main areas of
choking and strangling - those
applied with the benefit of the
opponents and those (naked)
techniques applied without. Most
of the recent development work
has taken place in the States by
Bruce Siddle of PPCT and James
Lindell and his Lateral Vascular
Neck Restraint (LNVR). This latter
technique is court approved and
tens of thousands of restraints Here, Geoff Thompson has been able to come up
under a punch and involve the opponents arm in the
have been applied by law enforce- strangle. This position gives excellent control of the
opponents body for a sweep.
ment officers in the States without
a single death. whereas in the case of the chokes the
subjects underwent considerable pain
Michael Finn, a former UK policeman and because of this they were actually
and martial artist recounted in an not taken beyond the point of con-
article the results of tests which had sciousness. In the case of the choke
been carried out on the clinical effects the EEG results showed rapid waves
of strangling and chokes. The tests with wider amplitude, but no slow
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waves were present. The EEG for the 5 minutes. Subjects in the tests
strangle produced slow wave patterns experienced no unpleasant feelings on
with a wide amplitude. As the subjects waking up and the strangle was
reached consciousness the amplitude released directly after the subject lost
reached 100uV but the frequency consciousness.
decreased to 3 to 5 per second. As the
subject neared awakening, B waves In the article Michael Finn quite rightly
became apparent, identical to those made the comment that the use of a
experienced during sleep. and on strangle will cause a rise in blood
awakening normal readings resumed. pressure which could adversely effect
a person who suffers from heart
Finn concluded the summary of the trouble. The unknown quantity for any
results saying that a strangle of us whether we are civilians or police
estricting the blood flow to the brain officers is that any pre-existing medical
restricted the oxygen supply causing problem of someone who is going to
unconsciousness. As I previously do us harm remains hidden. I would
mentioned other research does make the point that someone can still
suggest that in fact it may be the be highly dangerous even with heart
restriction of the venous return which trouble. Engaging in any physical
causes a build up linked with a combat with someone whose has a
phenomenon called the valsalva physical defect can bring on death, but
effect which is, very simply, remember there is only unknown risk
unconsciousness caused by holding or high risk and in the absence of
ones breath at the same time as heavy being a mind reader we must always
physical exertion. assume the worse.
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below the chin and on line, sufficient gouges, knees and if all fails a
breathing space is created for the strangle. It should not be your first
larynx. Equal pressure can the be option, but it may save your life.
applied to both sides of the neck in the
squeezing action. Ensure that where Throat Strikes
your forearm contacts you use the There are few occasions where a full
bone as the fleshy part is insufficient force blow to the throat can ever be
to create the depth of pressure justified, with the exception of facing
required on the spot. a knife attack, or handgun threat or
where the ferocity of attack is such
Always face your head off to one side that you fear for your life even though
and keep contact with your opponent your assailant is unarmed. On these
(top to toe), as any gap creates the occasions the throat will be the
right conditions for him to be able to primary target area for fist, elbow, edge
strike - no gap, anywhere, leaves no of the hand and straight finger
opportunity. Head cranks from Judo techniques. You will have no second
can all have a part to play, but require
specific training to achieve any level
of competence. You may have more
immediate results with a face bar,
where the bone of your forearm is
forced against the nose, face, eyeline
etc of your opponent creating huge
amounts of pain. Face bars alone
can through the discomfort they
cause obtain compliance, but it may
only be whilst the hold is on. Once
released you could still have big
problems to solve all over again.
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unless he releases his hold to protect attempt to describe it here (buy the
his fall. It works, but again it needs video). Ive used it at the range where
much practise to make it the instinctive our torsos were touching and Ive used
response. it blasting in from over six feet away
and it never fails me. The bigger they
Someone good at neckholds will not are, the better it works and when they
allow any gap for you too use an drop its from a good height. One
impactive defence, remember the top primary benefit of the Powersweep is
to toe principal. If they know what they that you also dont need hands to do it.
are doing they will not give you any What I mean is that you dont need to
opportunity to use your head, feet or have a hold of your opponent to make
finger twists people advocate. Michael it work. If your hands are full you need
Finn talked about a strangle being to be able to sweep a man regardless
effective in 10 seconds, but someone and this does it.
who knows what he is doing will have
you unconscious in 3-4 seconds - its Combinations
as quick as that. It is easy to say dont I want to keep all matters simple
let anyone that close, but that is because I know that when it kicks off
probably the only answer. Alternative accuracy goes out of the window. You
to that, is trying to blast them can be 90% accurate or more with
backwards as I have said above and your first shot, 40% accurate with your
create a situation of danger for your second, unless hes so stunned with
assailant which creates in his mind a the first hes a sitting target, and only
shift of emphasis to his own personal 20% with your third shot. Ive seen this
safety. It is too easy for people to happen and it is trained martial artists
advise a range of seeming good who are most guilty of inaccurate shots
advice, but the reality is that immediate and we need to look at why.
panic causes the person attacked to
struggle with the arm that is around the The lack of accuracy is more correctly
neck, during which few seconds termed bad targeting and it is a
and before they even try one of the product of a person being conditioned
recommended get outs they are to throw a technique in a combination
unconscious. even if no proper target presents itself.
I still see this when I am grading
Powersweep traditional Dan Grades where a
My favourite and I am not going to defender has a combination to do and
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with a kick, especially from the rear One night when I was working the
leg, it is just to slow and requires too doors my then manager, who was also
much equal and opposite movement a good friend had put out two guys
from the rest of the body which gives who had been causing trouble. We
the game away (the only exception is were having a drink after hours and the
the inside, lead leg strike). However, managers wife had come into the club,
we know that a well delivered kick will when one of the doorman who had
finish the affair, so I want to get one in, been leaving came back in to let us
if occasion and the threat demands, know that the two guys were waiting
but I need to do this under cover of a across the road, obviously for the
primary strike with the hands. manager to come out. As he was six
foot seven and could go a bit he
Multiple Opponents wasnt unduly worried for himself, but
You cannot fight two people and you having his wife with him put a different
certainly cannot fight three people. Its complexion on things which meant he
impossible to engage two or three couldnt go straight across and deal
people simultaneously - you will with it, so I went instead.
lose. If you had any reservations
about pre-emptive strikes and their By this time of the night the street was
legitimacy against one opponent, then empty, but where they stood was in
you had better get your thinking in line view of a police station so discretion
when it comes to multiple opponents. was the order of the day. In circum-
Pre-emption is the only thing which will stances like this you must be as close
save you from a very bad experience. as possible, because when you go at
Ill say it again you cannot fight two one the other must have no chance of
people, but what you can do is fight either getting out of the way or
one person twice!, even if that one reacting appropriately. This always
person is actually two different people. means dialogue which must be
Let me explain. Whenever I have two non-threatening and which allows you
opponents or more then I know that to achieve your ideal line up. I
the first two techniques I throw will take slapped the first one and had swept
two people out and my mental thinking the second before the first one had hit
is geared to addressing one problem at the pavement. The first one was out for
a time, but putting the succession of the count and the second one, who
strikes together with lighting speed had hit the ground hard just had his
and deception. hands up in submission. I had hit both
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within very broadly one second and By way of illustration one of the
both had been close enough to both most effective piece of armed police
me and themselves to make this encounters was against three armed
possible. The sequel was that a robbers in New York. Jim Cirillo, an
policeman who had witnessed the officer with the NYPD Stakeout Unit
whole thing was not too sure what he (SOU) and despite being under fire at
had actually seen and he arrested the the time shot all three armed robbers,
two for assault, as I was the only one two of whom were shielded behind
of the three who could actually make a hostage. Despite, as he described,
any sense. being about to melt with fear his
training took over and he blew away
Golden Rules two robbers from behind the hostage
With multiple opponents there are and the third who was lookout. His
some golden rules you can never partner thought he had only shot one
break. These are to do with how your round, whereas he had triggered six
opponents are spaced, distances and rounds in three seconds, with accuracy
line ups. In the above situation, I was he was later unable to duplicate on the
able to organise affairs so that I lined range. Just before the battle he had
up both parties, one without them memorised the colour of the clothing of
realising it and two to enable me to hit the clerk and the suspects. He shot
both in rapid succession giving only black coat, skipped over grey smock,
one shot to each. shot pink jacket, shot blue jacket. In
later months he was to use his colour
This is the first golden rule if your coding principles to train SOU recruits.
opponents are close NEVER hit the Cirillo during his period with the unit
first and second with any more than had 17 successful shoot outs with
ONE shot. If you put any more than armed assailants.
one strike into the first you create
enough time for the others to visually Opponents At A Distance
perceive what is happening and then Apart from any tactical points we can
be on you. You must hit, move to the draw from the above it supports the
next -hit, move to the next and hit. It principle of engaging all opponents in
should all happen in one or two seconds (as a side issue anyone who
seconds, giving no time for any goes on an armed hold up wearing a
response. If you get it right you can pink jacket deserves to get shot). But
make it work. what do we do where your opponents
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are not close to either you or each want the one behind him, but I need to
other. In a confined space this is remove this obstruction to get at him.
uncommon, as in the case of a pub or
club, but in the street I have found it a Ive made it work, but have experi-
problem. In this situation Distance enced all the stress responses which
Rules! The rule here is to take the I arduously avoid, tunnel vision, the
man on the extreme right or left if there red mist, poor targeting, auditory
are three. You must blast into him and exclusion, and the exclusion of
blitz him backwards, at least 12 feet everything around me - in other
or more I want him down and a words a fight. In this situation it is very
powersweep at the end will usually much a lottery whether you win or not
put him out of the game. You will now and only your opponents lack of
have many feet between you and his resolve will tip the scales your way. It is
cohorts who will be coming around aggression, pure and simple that wins
from you exploding. the day in fighting multiple opponents.
Your will to win must be superior and
If you pick the man in the middle as unlike any other situation speed is of
you can be inclined to do you then the essence.
have one person on each side of you
and if you turn to one you are blind to Earlier I have said that speed is often
the other. Going for one at the unnecessary and also causes a loss of
extreme, means that if you can finish impact, but with multiple opponents
him and turn back you face both of you have to be explosively fast. Keep
the two left and, hopefully, one will still moving and dont get caught fighting
be behind the other. Or you have from a fixed spot. Blast into an
created a way out so run. opponent and then straight onto
another, you must be highly disciplined
Let me say that you should use your in your targeting and it is here for
few feet gained to run, again we are experienced martial artists that it starts
not there to fight, so far you havent, to fall apart as it turns into a scoring
but if you turn and face the remaining session. An opponent must go down
two you are most definitely going to and stay down. You cant keep up a
have to fight. If escape is no option constant flurry of attacks indefinitely
then, providing you have the skill you because you cant put your man down
explode into the first one in your way. - you will lose. When the opportunity
My mental thinking is that I actually arises get out of there.
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the shot via a smooth acceleration. By far and away though the main
So it is with my strikes. Whatever benefit of being relaxed before you
weapon I am utilising I visualise it strike is that you give nothing away
as a 50lb weight, which I cannot move about your intent. Remember you are
quickly, rather it must be taken to the going to have a dialogue during
target by a large body movement. which you will strike, so go and
Impossible to adequately describe in a practise on a bag now and see how
book, the best other option is the much your voice will alter at the point
Powerstrike and Powerkick videos. where you are about to strike. When
The success of these strikes is that you require to utilise the musculature
they do not look in any way dynamic, to deliver the blow you will find you
particularly to an onlooker. Often the actually stop talking. My way allows
punch or strike can happen without twice as much impact for half the effort,
anyone knowing it has taken place, with no change in the cadence of
until the opponent falls to the ground. your voice.
As you dont end up in a fighting
stance there is no apparent aggression Control & Restraint (C & R)
which in the post incident assessment Control and restraint techniques wont
everyone will attest to the seeming work in violent street confrontations. If
lack of force applied. they did, police forces around the
country would not be retraining in a
Because the dynamics of this impact variety of new combative techniques
are so different it is possible to effect including the use of a telescopic baton
massive shock on an adversary from and body armour and prison officers
most angles, even ones at which you would not need a minimum of 3 officers
would normally feel at a disadvantage. to restrain a violent inmate, but
This is no more apparent than when actually prefer 4 to 5.
at very close ranges, such that most
traditional practitioners would feel too C & R techniques can work if they
close to develop impact in a punch say, can be brought into play in offensive
however, using the double hip an counter measures ie after someone is
internal distance is created for the unconscious! Try them before that and
blow which makes up for the lack of you put your life on the line. If they
distance from the fist to the target. have a knife you are in deep shit trying
to put an arm lock on after you have
blocked an attack! - a technique you
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will, unfortunately, see all too often in violence the decision was taken not
many books on self defence. to arm the local in-country team
members. The job was to look after
Where C & R has a place is where a senior employee of a company that
workers face violence and where injury was having to announce a plant
to others, such as patients must be closure and the main threat would be
a high consideration. In this situation from an angry and possibly violent
blows and strikes are specifically work force. The decision was taken,
outlawed by corporate policy, leaving quite rightly, that it would be very
only Breakaway and Control and inappropriate, to say the least, to shoot
Restraint. In these circumstances one of the company employees if
political correctness overrides even anything happened so the team was to
employee safety, by laying down such operate unarmed. Any physical trouble
restrictive guidelines, so as to would then have to be countered
emasculate what is taught. Potential empty handed and probably with the
liability problems motivate senior least impactive option. As it transpired
management more than the safety there was not the slightest hint of
of their people. It is obviously trouble, but the situation one could
inappropriate to have very impactive envisage would be the typical, angry
techniques taught to people who are crowd where being grabbed was the
dealing with others who have order of the day.
handicaps, but there is a better half
way house. For me the Chinese system of Chin Na
has some of the best breakaway
Breakaways techniques and one can see, from
What do work are Breakaway this very ancient system, the roots of
techniques which can serve a very many of the Japanese techniques,
useful purpose in many work environ- across a variety of systems. In a work
ments where staff are unable, through environment, say a retail outlet
reason of limited training time, or breakaways are an invaluable adjunct
political issues to obtain competence to the verbal, conflict management
in more forceful options. skills. Where a persons work is with
people who may have as we call it
It happens in the world of close these days learning difficulties a
protection. On a recent assignment, second level of skill is required
despite the very real potential threat of which is Control and Restraint. Strict
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corporate policy and rules of contact circumstances, will you lose. Its a tall
will make this almost impossible to order against one, a big hill to climb if
operate effectively, but it can work. there are two and a veritable Everest
if there are any more, so get it right
From verbal skills we can work our from the first.
way up the force option ladder. From
breakaways, we may need effective The key is to be Pre-emptive and to do
restraints possibly as psychiatric it deceptively. Whether you are a
nursing staff, door supervisors, or as female in your own house with
police officers. From restraints we someone you dont know well, a police
must be able to deliver impactive officer making a stop, a pedestrian in
strikes with both hands and feet and the street, how quickly you switch on
deliver these from a variety of social to the true risk of the unknown and
positions we may find ourselves in. We how quickly you seize the initiative will
should also be able to fight. impact on how safe you stay.
Throughout this book though I have To stay safe probably also means
wanted people to understand, what is you have to do the opposite of what
for me, the very clear distinction you would like, which is to go forward
between fighting and self defence. My into the opposition, however if you
definition of self defence isthe practise seize the opportunity, control of the
of deceptive, counter-measures to a situation may shift to you.
pre-empt the actions of a threatening
and possibly dangerous person or Conclusion
persons. My definition of a fight is There are no photo sequences or
the consequent physical confronta- illustrations in this book to deal with
tion, resulting from the inadequate every variety of defence against
perception of the true dangers posed punches and kicks. Ive said it
by a person or persons. In other elsewhere that good defence means
words a cock up, but cock up or not if concentrating on Broad Strategies not
you get the pre-emption wrong or late Narrow Tactics. If you try to do the
you will be in a fight and you should latter, you will end up confused and
know how to handle it. You will need pulling the wrong rabbit out of the
to be exceptionally fit, aggressive, wrong hat, in front of the wrong
ruthless, capable, fast, powerful and audience, if youll pardon the
mentally conditioned that, under no expression.
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STREETWISE COVER 06 30/1/09 11:19 am Page 1
STREETWISE
STREETWISE is the complete
manual of personal security & Karate has over 40 years experience in the
self defence. This manual is martial arts.
not another martial arts in
jeans type self defence book. Whilst a former Great Britain and England
It combines the detailed Karate International, he is also acknowl-
concepts and procedures from
edged as one of the countrys leading
the world of Executive
Protection, with the very best experts in self defence. As an International
of the physical aspects of self
Security Consultant, Peter lectures world-
defence.
wide on matters of Personal security and
SUBJECTS COVERED
Principals of Personal Awareness.
Security
A professional bodyguard and author of
Awareness Training System
Threat Pyramid The Modern Bodyguard Peter brings his
Colour Codes wealth of expertise of conflict and its
Security on the Street
Psycology of Conflict management to Streetwise. BE YOUR OWN
Fear and Adrenal Responses
BODYGUARD
As well as teaching on a consultancy basis
Personal Threat Analysis
at a National Police Training College, Peter
Personal Security Procedures
Home, Mobile and Office also teaches defensive tactics to many
Security
other British Police Forces.
Conflict Resolution
Self Defence and the Law
Myths of Martial Arts
Ranges and Tools
Impact Development
Wepons of the Body
Knife Defence - Realities P U B L I S H E D B Y
Multiple Attackers
Protection
Streetwise ISBN. 1 873475 527 PUBLICATIONS
PRICE UK 24.99 S U M M E R S D A L E
in association with
Pp
BY PETER CONSTERDINE