From NSW Police Media - Two Teenage girls indecently assaulted.

Two in one day!!!

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/latest_releases?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGd3d3LmViaXoucG9saWNlLm5zdy5nb3YuYXUlMkZtZWRpYSUyRjIzNDExLmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/media_release_archive?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGd3d3LmViaXoucG9saWNlLm5zdy5nb3YuYXUlMkZtZWRpYSUyRjIzNDA3Lmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D

How can you minimise the risk?

Understand this:
Attackers like easy victims.
A person who is unaware of their surrounding is an easy victim.
A person who appears distracted is an easy victim.
Just because you are smaller or younger than the attacker does not in itself make you an easy victim.

Follow these suggestions to help you avoid becoming a victim:

Try wherever possible to avoid walking in isolated areas alone, this includes reserves, car parks and streets.

If you must walk through isolated areas especially on a regular basis make sure you have some Deliberate Action Plans (see below).

Ensure that your awareness level is set on ‘Heightened Awareness’ (see below)
Know your route and continually check around you.
Don’t walk with IPod or other devices in your ears, this takes away a vital sense.
Don’t walk along reading a book or magazine, this shows potential attackers that you are unaware of what’s going on around you, it makes you a much easier victim.
Don’t walk along totally engrossed in a phone call.

If you are confronted run to safety not just away from danger.
If you are confronted follow the ESCAPE Immediate Action Plan
Early detection – this works if you awareness is set on ‘Heightened’
Step Back – always step back from a person confronting you, try to remain outside grabbing range.
Communicate – Talk to the person, slow the confrontation down as you plan your next move, have your hands up palm facing the attacker, talk as calmly as you can.
Assess the situation – look for escape route or plan your next move.
Prepare – get ready to run or defend yourself - kick, punch, scratch or gouge.
Engage or Escape – If you can run do so, if you can’t then defend yourself. Only engage as a last resort, escape is a far better option.

Deliberate Action Plans

A Deliberate Action Plan is about pre-planning.

Step 1

For students and adults alike, if you walk or travel the same way to school or work each day are there ways for you to avoid walking through isolated areas; if not you must know what is along the way:
* Are there places where people are always present that you can run to?
* Where are the local shops?
* Where do the various side streets go?
* Are there things along your route you could pick up and use to defend yourself?

For adults think about what you can do to avoid having to walking through, parking or being in isolated areas or travelling on public transport late at night. Take some sort of action such as moving your car before darkness.

Step 2.

Check what you are doing to see if you appear to be an easy victim.

* IPod, Books, being engrossed in a phone call etc make you an easy victim – plenty of people get run over in traffic due to this as well
* Spend a few days playing the ‘Predator/Prey’ game. This involves you thinking like the attacker, looking at people and working out; ‘how would I attack them’, ‘What would I do’, ‘are they an easy target’ and then importantly learning from their mistakes, don’t do the same thing.

Step 3

Think about what you would do if someone tries to attack you.

* Know where you would run to.
* Think about what you could do, it doesn’t take years of martial art training to knee someone in the groin.

Step 4

Use your ‘Heightened’ awareness skills to ensure you detect potential threats early enough to avoid them

Step 5

If you think you are a potential victim (yes that is everyone) consider some sort of reality based martial art or self-defence classes or course.

Heightened Awareness

The Heightened level of awareness is the second level.  The first level is Safe & Sound which should be only used when you are safely tucked up at home, door locked with no potential threats.  When you step out the door you should go to level 2 – Heightened.

This is not difficult is just means being aware of everything and everyone in your personal space. Personal space varies, but as a rule of thumb is it the area as far as your eye can see in any given direction.

The example of someone walking across a reserve means that you would be looking ahead, to the sides and now and then behind you.  This is not walking like you are in a combat zone but making sure that no one can get close enough to harm you by surprise.

When interviewed by Police victims often say “he came out of nowhere” or “he just appeared”, that is not true, in reality the victim simply did not see the attacker approaching.

Follow these suggestions; they will help you to stay safe.

For more details about awareness training, deliberate & immediate action plans or reality based self defence training go; to www.pfsd.net.

Don't let this happen to you!!

A woman was knocked out and sexually assaulted when she stopped her car to help what she believed was another motorist have car troubles; full story here

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/woman-who-stopped-car-to-help-motorist-knocked-out-and-sexually-assaulted-20120523-1z3np.html

Best Advice: Don't Stop!!

If you are going to stop because you think the person looks harmless, consider the following
What expertise, experience or training to you have on assessing the threat level?

If you are still intent on stoping please take the following advice:

1. Think carefully (again) before stopping to help, in the case above the offender was pretending to have car trouble.

2. If you do stop, pull up behind the broken down car and far enough away from the car to allow you to pull out and drive off if you need to.

3. Do not get out of your car; wait for the person to come to your car. If they don’t, sound your horn, they may not have seen you, if they still don’t come to your car drive on.

4. Keep your door locked, open your window only enough to allow the person to talk to you but not enough for them to reach in.

5. Do not turn your car off; remain in drive with the hand brake off ready to leave if you have to.

6. Especially at night or if you suspect something is not right (listen to your gut instinct) dial 000 on your mobile  but do not press call at this point in time.

7. Ask them if you can help by making a call for them, do not give them your phone.

8. If the person attempts to gain entry into your car to strike at you press call on the 000, even if you can’t speak 000 can trace your call.

9. As soon as possible drive off.

10. If you have a pen and paper and the time note the number and description of the car and any details of the person.

11. Report immediately to Police.

12. If you think that this couldn't happen to you think again, if you stop it could happen to so consider undertaking some reality based street effective self defence or martial art training.

Bukido Kai Martial Arts http://www.pfsd.net/

Don’t be the next person that this happens to: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/mistaken-identity-family-shaken-up-by-violent-home-invasion-20120518-1yu92.html

Here are some things to consider that may help in this situation

1. Make sure you have a strong security screen door in place, not just the lightweight plastic stuff.
2. Ensure the mesh on the screen is dark and hard to see into.
3. Place a very bright sensor light at the front door so that it shines into the eyes of anyone coming to your front door at night.  This will ensure that you can see people outside but they have difficulty seeing inside.
4. Make sure the screen door and front door are locked.
5. Don’t open the front door.
6. If you hear and knock on the door at night, take your phone with you to the door, dial 000 but do not press call at this point in time.
7. Demand to know who is at the front door; if in doubt ask them to come back during daylight hours.
8. If the person attempt to gain entry press call on the 000, even if you can’t speak 000 can trace your call.
9. Have something near the front door that you can defend yourself with it you need to.
10. If you think that this could happen to you and it could happen to anyone undertake some reality based street effective self defence or martial art training.

For more information check out www.pfsd.net or have a look at http://www.youtube.com/bukidokai

Another night in Sydney town and another victim.http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/girl-14-and-boy-16-attack-taxi-driver-police-20120518-1yufo.html

5 Steps to help you to avoid becoming a victim.

1. Develop heightened awareness skills
2. Undertake some reality based street effective self defence or martial art training.
3. Create Deliberate Action Plans.
4. Have an Immediate Action Plan.
5. Practice point 1 to 4

For more information go to www.pfsd.net

Self Defence Advice - On the Street.

1. Always be aware of your surrounding and who is around you especially at night.
2. Your personal space is as far as you can see in all directions.
3. If you have a routine, for example you always walk home along certain street, ensure that you know where the escape routes are, where locations of safety are and if there is anything along the way that could assist you if you are attacked, for example shops and or houses, always occupied where you can find help, weapons such as items always left in certain garden along the way.
4. If you are walking, walk away from the roadway. Always walk toward on coming traffic.
5. If you are walking at night, ensure that you are aware of everything thing or person within at least 100 metres.  Who cares if looking around makes you seem paranoid.
6. If you think that you are being followed take some form of evasive action, for example speed up, cross to the other side of the street, turn around and walk the opposite direction and then  observe what your suspected follower does.
7. If they continue to follow you and you feel comfortable, stop and say "Are you following me", if they say "yes" , well at least you know. If they say "no" and then move on, remain aware and alert.
8. If you are approached by someone and that inner alarm goes off, take evasive action, move to the other side of the street, speed up, change direction.
9. If you walk at night consider purchasing and carrying a Maglite style torch. These powerful torches can be purchased at various places and even the small ones are bright enough to stun a potential attacker when shone into the eyes giving you enough time to escape.  The larger models also double nicely as a baton.

For more self defence advice please visit http://www.pfsd.net/

General Self Defence Advice
http://www.pfsd.net/

1. Learn to develop your awareness. Regardless of how much or how little self defence or martial art training you have had, awareness is the key to staying safe. This is not a blatant plug, but click here for a comprehensive awareness program designed to keep you safe in the streets.


2. Attacker's like victims who are unaware so that they can sneak up on them.  Victim's often claim in statements "He came out of nowhere" or "All of a sudden he was just there" RUBBISH, they just didn't see the attacker until it was to late. WHY, they had no awareness skills.

3. Listen to your inner alarm if it goes off to tell you that something may be wrong.  If the little voice in your head is wrong so what, who cares, if it's right you better care.

4. If you frequently places where violence occurs on a regular basis I suggest you either stop or expect something to happen one of these days.

5. If you believe that "it won't happen to me", you may be right.  But if you're wrong, make sure you have health insurance!!

6. Never run from danger, always run to safety.

7. You don't need to develop a siege mentality but you should develop an aware mentality.  A potential attacker will be put off by a victim that look alert and ready to defend themselves.

8. If you make a habit of talking an exercise walk at night, take a walking stick and learn out to use it for defensive purposes (of course if you are ever questioned, it's just a walking stick for your bad knee).

9. Two essential tools that can help you avoid becoming a victim are a Deliberate Action Plan and an Immediate Action Plan (click for details).

10. If you get in a situation in which you have to defend yourself, accept the situation, don't ignore it, don't hope that it will magically go away, face the situation and get on with it.  If you have the physical skills to defend yourself do so if need be, if you don't try and talk your way of the situation and try to escape. Remember the Immediate Action Plan.

11. Street confrontations such as assaults (including sexual assault) or robberies, mugging etc have 3 stages: Stalking, Interview & Attack.

During the Stalking Phase, the attacker seeks out a victim, the attacker watches them to ensure that they are a suitable victim, weak, unaware, without help or the perceived ability to resist the attack. At this stage awareness is the key to appearing to be an unsuitable victim.

The second stage is The Interview during this time the attacker may make contact with the victim, asking a seemingly innocent question, for directions for example or making a forceful demand for money for example. At this stage you have three choices (1) if you are going to physically defend yourself don't get into a discussion, just get on with it before the attacker has the chance to attack.  (2) Use the Immediate Action Plan and get to the point where you engage or escape.  (3) If you are not going to defend yourself escape as quick as possible at this point, use distraction or a seeming willingness to comply but get away as quick as possible

The third stage is the actual Physical Attack, see next point.

12. The physical attack part of the street confrontation is also made up of 3 elements: Surprise, Speed & Savagery.  Your awareness can negate element 1 Surprise. Having a Deliberate Action Plan and/or an Immediate Action Plan can slow the attacker down and stop them from launching a savage attack.

13. Never allow yourself to be taken to a second location, especially if you are female.  What ever was going to happen to you are the first location will be much worse at a second location.  The second location is likely to be more isolated with far less chance of escape or help.  At the second location you may find yourself confronted by addition attackers.  To repeat NEVER ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE TAKEN TO A SECOND LOCATION.

14. Especially for females: if you are in a car with your husband or boyfriend and you are having an argument, NEVER demand to be let out of the vehicle NOW.  You may find yourself alone in a dark street with no way to get home and who knows who will drive along that street next.  Alway have your husband or boyfriend drive you home, feel free to ignore him them but at least you are home safe.

An Immediate Action Plan to help you avoid harm

If you find yourself in a dangerous situation you need an Immediate Action Plan.  The object of self defence is to escape intact, so use the ESCAPE Immediate Action Plan to escape and remain safe.

E  EARLY DETECTION of a possible threat, if you have done our awareness development program you should to be able to do this.
S   STEP BACK: if you don't remember anything else, always remember to step back out of punching, kicking and most importantly, edged weapon (knife, screw driver, bottle etc) range.
C  COMMUNICATE: Try and talk to the attacker, distract him/her, if they are talking they are not hitting, kicking or stabbing, whilst you talk continue running the rest of this plan.
A  ACCESS: Continually access the situation, look for means of escape, look for help, look for weapons or barriers if you have to, keep observing the attacker, check for weapons, back up, continually access the situation.
P  PREPARE: prepare yourself to either engage or escape, if you have martial art training you should be considering options of attack and defence, you should be in a stance that gives you the best chance of success.
E  ENGAGE OR ESCAPE: the moment of truth time, whatever you do now, commit yourself.