Ten Things you can do Right now to Stay Safe in the City

Your safety isn’t a thing to take lightly. I understand that it’s difficult to know how to be cautious when you have never had any experience with criminals, but you should do your best to keep it that way. Big cities are dangerous and the fact that you may have never witnessed or felt what it’s like to be robbed or hurt doesn’t mean that you never will. Therefore, you should do everything in your power to protect yourself so that if something bad happens, you won’t have to beat yourself up because you haven’t done anything to prevent it. Good precautions significantly lower the chance of you becoming a crime victim. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Take responsibility.

In order to introduce a new protocol into your life, you should first change your mindset. You are responsible for your safety and it’s time to take matters into your own hands. It’s necessary for you to understand that bad things happen randomly and that you might be a target without being aware of it.

2. Be aware.

Speaking of awareness, I know it’s easy to get lost in your thoughts while walking to work or taking a train ride for example, but that’s exactly the opportunity criminals are looking for. You should work on being in the present moment a bit more. However, you shouldn’t allow yourself to go to the extreme and become paranoid and scared. Moderation is the answer here.

3. Change your routines.

Considering the fact that premeditated crimes require planning, you might be involved in someone’s plotting without realizing it. Once again, I’m not trying to make you paranoid, but that’s just the way criminals work. For example, for a robbery to be successful a criminal will make a replication of your schedule by establishing your habits. That is why you shouldn’t stick to the same routine or route, so make sure to change things. Walk down different streets and try not to be predictable.

4. Secure your home.

This is one routine you should establish and stick to, even when you’re late or in a hurry to get out of your home. A basic checkup will do here. Make sure that all windows are locked, be positive that you locked your doors, and take good care of your keys.

Building a good relationship with your neighbors should be a priority and not just because you can hang out with them every now and then. If something unexpected happens while you’re not around, your neighbors will react more quickly and with more attentiveness if you’re on good terms.

5. Stop carrying cash.

You should do your best to make it very difficult for criminals to rob you. Face it, walking down an empty street makes you an easy target and if you actually get assaulted, not much damage will be done if you have just a couple of bucks in your wallet. If the assaulter steals your credit cards you can simply call your bank and cancel them.

6. Late night walks are a no-no.

I’d like to emphasize how imperative it is not to do this. I know it seems to be a cheap alternative to taking a cab, but it actually isn’t. Taking a cab will definitely cost less than a robbery and no one will hurt you physically along the way. Therefore, paying for a ride is actually investing in your safety.

7. Sign up for a defense class.

Besides being a very healthy form of exercise, a defense class will help you understand what it’s like to be attacked which will lessen confusion in case it does happen. Confusion is often the reason that crime victims are incapable of reacting. You should also get familiar with legal self-defense products you can have with you to use in case you get assaulted.

8. Start parking safely.

It doesn’t really matter whether you use a bike or a car for transport. Either way you should pay special attention to where you leave your possessions. I know that this can skip your mind, especially if you’re in a hurry, but it’s better to be safe than sorry which is why you should park only in secure spots in the city.

9. You shouldn’t overshare.

The newest wave of crime happens because of the lack of precautions people take on social platforms. A majority of users are quite reckless when it comes to sharing their personal information, leaving important data like a home address for everyone to see. Do you overshare? Obviously this piece of information combined with you checking into places you visit is a recipe for a home robbery. Simply rethink future posts on social networks and check personal information boxes in order to remove everything that makes you an easy target.

10. Don’t push your luck.

The unfortunate truth is that even the most cautious people in the world sometimes become crime victims. By not even trying to protect yourself and your possessions, you’re almost asking for it. You work hard for what you have and you should introduce changes in your life to protect yourself and your property. It’s not necessary for you to start wearing a suit of armor in order to be safe. You just need to adapt your way of thinking to the fact that crimes happen and take precautions to lessen the chance of becoming a crime victim.

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Source: Lifehack.org