Situation awareness is a key component of personal protection. In fact it may well be the key component of personal protection around which everything else is built. Interest and appreciation for the importance of situational awareness is growing. One aspect that is sometimes overlooked though is the importance of tying it to effective decision making. …
There are certain situations where individuals may be specifically targeted for attack. It may arise from a business or personal dispute, due to perceived wealth, political profile or another reason. Assuming you are not a head of state, high net worth person or other individual with a large security detail and other protective infrastructure support,…
In the past we have looked at the question of when and whether you should resist a crime or not. Most authorities on personal security and most law enforcement sources will advise you to comply with a criminal in the case of an obviously economically-motivated crime. If a mugger wants your wallet or your cell…
Most people when they think of a kidnapping think of a violent, dramatic event. The victim is ambushed, dragged from his car, threatened with weapons and restrained before being moved to a location where he is isolated. Many kidnappings do follow this model or something very similar. Speed, violence, “shock and awe” are effective tools…
At about 9pm on April 11, 2013 a group of 5 men forced their way into an apartment in Meriden, Connecticut in the Northeastern US and overpowered and restrained four people inside. The apartment was reportedly company-rented and used by employees of Lenox Jewelers in Fairfield who frequently transited between that store and another store…
Amorphous: Without a clearly defined shape or form; vague; indeterminate or unclassifiable When contemplating personal security situations we often envision the threat – whatever it may be – to be clear and direct. Sometimes it is but often that is not the case. Many crimes are direct and overt. A blitz attack, a knife or…
If you do business in an international environment then chances are you deal with a wide range of people with different ideas about acceptable business practices, business ethics, conflict resolution and competition. While some of these people may hold views very similar to yours many others may have a different perspective. Generally speaking the further…
Continuing with the theme of keeping travel security in perspective that we introduced in the last article I’d like to stress again the need to keep a realistic and practical view of your personal security when traveling overseas and to avoid alarmist perceptions that often follow incidents like the Sarai Sierra case and the sexual…
This is excerpted from the Integrated Protective Concepts book Kidnapping Prevention & Avoidance. Without a doubt the greatest threat you are likely to potentially encounter is the insider threat. Numerous kidnapping cases throughout the world have involved a person close to the victim or with inside knowledge of the victim’s activities and routine facilitating the…
Looks can be deceiving and more than one person has fallen victim to becoming complacent because a person they were dealing with turned out to be more dangerous than they initially appeared. A great example of this is the “Gang of Blondes” (Gangue das Loiras) a female kidnapping ring that was believed to be responsible…