5 Don ’ ts of Personal Protection
By Mark Grobbelaar
The things we should not do are often more important than the things we should do when it comes to our safety .
Personal Safety
Following on from last month ’ s column on the five do ’ s , I would like to now cover what I believe are the five most important things we should not do . As mentioned previously , there are many do ’ s and don ’ ts , but to those who do not train every day , having a few that are easy to remember could change a situation , and are priceless . Just ask Miss SA / Miss Universe 2017 , Demi-Leigh Nel-Pieters , who went through my INpowered programme along with all the other Miss SA finalists .
On the 17 June 2017 , shortly after being crowned Miss SA , she was involved in an attempted hijacking that could have ended very differently . She was on her way to a function and stopped at a set of robots at seven in the evening . She looked up and noticed men on both sides of the road looking at her . They made their way to her car and Demi said she just “ knew they were coming to hijack me .” She managed to get out of the situation and escape because she knew some very important rules .
1 . DON ’ T GO TO THE SECOND PLACE
Demi said she heard my voice in her head , saying , “ Don ’ t go to the second place . Things do not get better there .” You see , your chances of survival are much higher at the first place ( above 90 %). When you go to the second place , they are less than half that . In every INpowered class , I ask someone : “ If I put a gun against your head and want to take you somewhere else , are you coming ?” And almost always they answer : “ Yes , because if I don ’ t , you are going to shoot me .” The reality is that if I am prepared to rape or shoot you in the first place , and you go with me to the second place , then I am almost certainly going to do it at the second place . Things really do not get better at the second place , so don ’ t go there .
2 . DON ’ T UNDERESTIMATE OR TRUST ANYBODY
In years gone by , it was socially accepted that you trusted everyone until they broke your trust . Today , the opposite has to apply : You cannot trust anybody until they earn your trust . This does not mean that you should be rude . It means that you do not put yourself in a situation where someone can use your trust against you . Just because someone knows your name , where you work , or the details of a sibling , does not mean that you can trust them . People who commit crimes are not all opportunistic idiots , many of them have a plan . So , do not simply give your trust away .
3 . DON ’ T IGNORE YOUR SIXTH SENSE
When something feels wrong , it is wrong . Leave . Trust your gut and get out – and you do not need to know what it is that is making you feel this way . Imagine a herd of zebras at a watering hole , and there is a loud noise behind them . The leader looks over his shoulder and says to them all : “ Forget it guys , it ’ s nothing .” Is that what happens ? Of course not ! If there is a noise , they all just leave . They don ’ t have to know what made the noise , like humans do , to prove ourselves right . So often I have heard , when speaking to victims : “ I knew something was wrong .” My question then is simple : “ Then why were you still there ?”
4 . DON ’ T DOUBT 5 . DON ’ T HESITATE
You will probably only have one chance in a life-or-death situation . If you hesitate and doubt , that window of opportunity will close and maybe never open again . Belief is the key to everything .
Mark Grobbelaar is the founder of INpowered , incorporating WIP ( Woman INpowered ) and GRIP ( Guy Responsibly INpowered ), an organisation dedicated to giving people the essential tools to protect themselves . Mark holds a sixth dan in karate , and is also an avid runner and cyclist . He hosts INpowered programmes for corporates , schools and small groups . More info at www . inpowered . co . za .
Images : Vecteezy
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