The Importance Of Staying Vigilant
The latest London crime data is telling with gun crime on the increase along with rape, business robbery and robbery on individuals. What would one expect to be a different outcome when you have imported individuals you have no idea about their back grounds. Last year when we had just arrived in Paris we prevented a migrant from stealing a bike that was chained and locked up and was a reminder of how times have changed.
I am writing this post this evening as my brother was attacked a couple of days ago whilst walking home in the evening. He is thankfully ok and has a perforated ear drum after being attacked by 2 migrants on bicycles. This was not a theft related attack and was a hate attack as they were not trying to steal anything. They snuck up on him from behind and attacked him and rode off leaving him shocked. I am sure it was a nasty lesson to learn and next time he needs to be aware and prepared because the chances are there will be another time.
When he told me what had happened I was rather angry with him and obviously the ones who did this as if you are not vigilant you are a soft target. What happened to being aware of your surroundings which is something I just do naturally and guess not everyone does. These to me are just general street smarts I have honed over the years and have changed outcomes when required.
Certain skills have been trained like the advanced driving and tactical driving course I have completed which makes you aware of your surroundings. You have to know what cars are in front of you and behind you at all times and even pedestrians walking on the pavement. If you are being followed you will know very quickly as once you have been trained it becomes second nature and then you have choices of what action to take next.
This is why when I was followed doing my work in South East London all those years ago I knew and took the would be thieves on a goose chase only to be denied permission to ram their vehicle. That part sucked, but I have had a different upbringing from most who live a normal life and do not see what is happening around them. The areas I worked for the cigarette company in London were no go areas and had been abandoned for 5 years until I joined and in all honesty were far safer than areas I had worked in South Africa.
When you are out walking nothing changes and it involves the same type of techniques being used. The blind spots are your weaknesses and these are the areas you monitor out of habit. My brother never did any military so I guess I cannot blame him for not doing what I would call the obvious. This is part of basic self preservation that you should be doing at all times.
If you are a soft target you would know as it is easy to spot those who are not aware of their surroundings. Agreed we should not have to live and think along these lines, but the demographics tell you the times have certainly changed and means we need to change how we think and act.
When I used to work in London certain regions were worse than others for crime and I used to dress differently for different areas which may sound mad, but I was always prepared. I still do this today and if it is a dodgy area I will not be wearing smart dress shoes or flip flops. I am always scanning looking for anything that does not look normal and you can see trouble before it happens which is something that just happens naturally. I do think most crimes can be stopped immediately if you are aware and not sticking out as someone who is an obvious target.
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Sorry that it has happened to your brother. For me what you describe is ingrained from growing up in the Soviet Union, I am always ready for self defense and keep a watch on my surroundings at all times. In USA I had always felt safe, except the strange stares in Harlem hood in NYC about 10+ years ago and about 20 years ago in Saint Luis Missouri, where I was the only white person on the street as far as I could see and I was getting weird looks just like in Harlem later...
But unlike Soviet Union, I actually never had to fight on the street here in America.
I used to get weird looks in SE London especially Brixton which was like Harlem. I have never fought on the streets but have chased criminals who had broken into my car and stolen stock. Work was confused why no stock was stolen or very rarely stolen as I normally got it all back. It was like an insult to lose stock and the number of chases I had it is nuts. In the end I was part of a sting operation in the area with central intelligence (CID) and I was the bait car. Different times, but made work life more interesting.
In SA it was dodgy especially in and around the central taxi ranks but was never attacked once as I guess I looked like a cop with my hair cut and was super fit. No other white people in the area so being a cop would make sense to the locals.
Being the only white person in the area would have made me very edgy... It is like you have a target on your back especially in place like SA...
Yes it can get very iffy at times and you are very much more aware of the situation. A few years ago in Maputo I was being followed and had to give them the slip nipping through the market and leaving by another entrance.
I'm sorry to hear about your brother's attack. Will he be able to hear out of that ear? I have lived in a few dangerous places in my life, and I always try to be aware of my surroundings. You are especially vulnerable as a pedestrian, and sometimes you need to assume the worst in people to avoid being in a potentially bad situation. I hope they can do something to clean up London, as it is such a beautiful city with a proud history.
He was seeing a specialist this week to see what the damage is and hopefully it can be fixed. I am going over in the next month or so and we shall see how things have deteriorated because it is that noticeable even after 6 months. I will not travel to London anymore and have my memories of what it used to be. I know many people who also stay clear and this must be impacting businesses.
Things seem chaotic over there at the moment, and that is usually not good for business. Hopefully they can do something to turn it around, but at least you have the pleasant memories. Best of luck to your brother, hopefully they can fix him up.