SIVA

We've had a spate of people robbed while walking home from clubs and bars uptown recently, so, I thought I'd devote a couple of posts to how the bad guys select their victims.

The acronym we use is S.I.V.A. which I'll break down over the next four posts. This one will be devoted to S which stands for selection.

A study was done by Grayson and Stein a few decades ago in which they used prisoners who were human predators and showed them video footage of people walking. In prisons on both coasts the predators all picked the same victims within seven seconds of watching them walk. It didn't matter if they were male/female, big/small, tall/short, black/white, dressed well/badly or catholic or protestant.

The results found that gait was very important as the ideal victim tends to be tired, lacks confidence, walks too slow or too fast, shuffles and looks down instead of around.

One of the best ways to understand this is to adopt a predatory mindset and go out and pretend you're a crack addict looking for a victim to rob. Who would you pick? Why?

Who appears shy or vulnerable?
Who is intimidating?
Who is aware of their surroundings?
Who is distracted, alone or task fixated?
Who is reckless or having a great time?
Who else is watching?
Which people need other stimulus (alcohol, conflict, attention etc)

By looking at it from the enemy's viewpoint you'll better understand how to lower your own profile so you're unlikely to be one of the chosen ones.

Ok, next time we'll talk about the "I"

Wedgies

Connie Francis the singer was robbed and raped in a NY city hotel many years ago and it was her celebrity status that caused it to make the news and not much else. To add insult to injury her bodyguard was in the next room while the attack went on for two hours.

Hotel security is always scant at best. The safes in the room can't be trusted, the safety chains wouldn't stop a determined eight year old and with poor key control nobody knows who can access your room.

One aid that I always carry, either when I travel myself or with clients, is a simple rubber door wedge. They cost less than three dollars and buy you a hell of a lot of peace of mind and they take up almost no space at all in your luggage.

I wonder what would cost more...a bodyguard or the door stop? So yourself a favor and grab a couple next time you're at Lowes/Home Depot and keep them in your luggage. They're worth their weight in gold.

Nick