Safety Advice – What To Do If You’re Attacked

It’s an unfortunate reality that people get attacked. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, how should you act? And what can you do to protect yourself?

Attacks can sometimes be avoided altogether. Preventing an attack is about how you present yourself. Here are some tips to prevent an attack:

1. Make yourself a hard target. Part of preventing an attack is to present yourself as being confident and secure. Don’t make yourself look vulnerable by being distracted by your phone or listening to music. Instead, walk confidently look ahead and make eye contact to show you can take care of yourself.
2. Don’t be afraid to say no. If a stranger is asking for help with something and you get a bad feeling from them, then politely tell them you can’t help right now and keep moving.
3. Common sense. Don’t give attackers easy opportunities. Use your common sense to keep yourself safe. For instance, don’t walk home if you’re drunk, don’t walk in public places alone at night and don’t make your house easily accessible by leaving windows open at night.
4. Be vigilant. Attackers tend to be lurking around car parks, between cars, stairwells and alleys. Be extra cautious when in these areas and avoid being busy searching for car keys. Have your keys ready beforehand.

 Basic Safety Tips

It’s important to remember that not every attack is the same and they do not all have the same motive. With this in mind, here are a few basic safety tips to help protect yourself if you are attacked.

1. Remain Calm. Fear can cloud your judgement. Try and remain calm to stay focused on the situation.
2. What’s the motive? Your defence will depend on the motive of the attacker. Do they want money? Are they trying to take your belongings? Are they trying to cause harm?
3. Assess the situation. Are they carrying a weapon? Is there anyone around that could possibly be alerted providing it is safe to do so?
4. Don’t try to protect your belongings. Your safety is more important than the belongings that can be replaced. If the attacker is after money, throw your purse/wallet towards them and run in the opposite direction.
5. Fight back if you have to. If the attacker is trying to cause you harm and you are unable to escape or get help, then self-defence could be your best option.
6. Use reasonable force. There is no definition as to what constitutes reasonable force. This is decided on a case-by-case situation. But if you are being physically attacked, you have the right to defend yourself.
7. Call for help discreetly. If you’re carrying a personal safety alarm then use it. Pressing the SOS button on one of our devices will immediately connect you to our 24/7 Alarm Receiving Centre where our highly trained Controllers will listen in and summon assistance. Our personal safety alarms are accredited to BS 8484:2022. This means our Controllers can bypass the 999 system room and connect straight to your local police force.

 Judge the Response in the Moment

All situations are different, so your response should be judged in the moment. Remember that your safety is more important than that of your belongings and self-defence should only be used if the threat is physical. Call for help if it’s safe to do so and if you have a personal safety alarm or SOS app, use it to discreetly summon police assistance.