We all know that society is less than perfect and that crime could easily touch us all, and most of us at least know somebody close to us who has been the victim of crime. That scares people and they feel helpless because they think that there is nothing they can do to protect themselves. They are wrong! There is a lot that the average person can do to protect themselves and their family. This security handbook will teach you how to perform a security review on various different aspects of your life to identify and resolve any threats, vulnerabilities and risks.

Origins Of This Book

I first considered writing a security tutorial when I joined friends who were discussing what they would buy if they won millions on the lottery. Most people included the expected fast cars, luxury holidays and big houses, but there was one priority purchase that was common to most of them and which really surprised me. Almost all of them dreamed of using their fortune to buy a ‘secure and safe lifestyle’!

They were ordinary people, leading ordinary lives, people who I thought would have no specific security worries. I investigated further because I wanted to know what additional security they thought they needed. I wanted to know what special threats they thought they faced and how they thought sudden wealth would help them to improve their security. Most of their concerns could be listed under two main classifications:

Basically, people were worrying about nothing, because with the right information and guidance they could make significant improvements to their personal security with minimal effort and at minimal cost.

This book will teach you how to look at your lifestyle to identify potential vulnerabilities, threats and risks. When you have identified them I will propose simple, affordable and achievable countermeasures that the average person can implement to increase their levels of security.

Lack Of Understanding And Knowledge

Most people don’t understand about real crime, or how they can take simple measures to help them to avoid becoming victims of crime. Some people are vaguely aware of some of the issues, but most of the knowledge on which they base their opinions about crime comes from lurid news stories and a smattering of ‘information’ from television police dramas, most of which are American! The bottom line is that they are really worried about crimes, which only actually affect one in fifty thousand people!

This was bad enough, but the biggest problem was that they don’t understand the actual and common threats they face, or what they can easily do to avoid them. They have little concept of how real crime actually applies to them and they certainly don’t recognise or understand the range of simple countermeasures that are available for them to protect themselves, their family and their unique lifestyle.

Approach

Crime statistics are rising, but that is due partly to the effect of new recording rules and procedures, and partly to a greater willingness to report crime. I want to apply a new understanding of crime and how to avoid it.

As a simple example, are you more like ‘Sid Stupid’ or ‘Colin Careful’?

Sid Stupid gets his cash point card in his hand, with the scrap of paper he has written the PIN number on because he can’t remember it. He walks up to the nearest cash machine and withdraws his maximum limit because he is going to buy a motorbike. Sid withdraws the cash then walks away from the machine as he counts his cash to make sure the cash machine hasn’t cheated him. Shoving his wad of cash in the back pocket of his jeans Sid Stupid heads for the pub for a quick one before he goes to buy his motorbike.

Colin Careful knows he has to withdraw his maximum limit from the cash machine so he thinks safety. He keeps an eye out on his way to the bank, looking for suspicious activity – for example louts hiding their faces under hooded tops and hanging around the cash point with no apparent reason. He also looks out for drunks, aggressive beggars and other troublemakers who like to loiter around the cash point. When he gets to the bank, there are some people around but he has already decided to use the cash point inside.

Colin Careful knows that inside the bank, CCTV cameras and bank staff make it a more secure location to withdraw that much cash. Colin checks the machine for unofficial criminal devices, hunches over it to make the transaction and then counts his cash in private. He puts the cash in an envelope he brought with him, seals it and wraps an elastic band or two around it. Then slides it into his inside jacket pocket. He uses a safety pin to secure that pocket and then closes his jacket before going to the bank door. He pauses in the safety of the bank door to look around just in case. Once outside, while he is still covered by town centre CCTV, he heads towards the motorcycle showroom but pauses to look in a shop window, using the reflection in the glass to see what is going on behind him, just to be sure!

So, having read how Sid and Colin withdrew their cash, are you closer to being Sid Stupid or Colin Clever? Change the scenario a little: if you were going to get just £40 out of the bank would that make a difference? Would you suddenly become Sid Stupid and not care?

That is the most important lesson I have to teach. To know or identify the circumstances in which you are vulnerable, and in everything you do to take simple and reasonable steps to make sure that you don’t become the victim of a crime.

By being aware and careful, you are probably 95% less likely to become the victim of opportunist theft at a cash point! By reading through this security handbook you will identify vulnerabilities and implement effective countermeasures to greatly reduce your chances of becoming a victim of any crime. That is as hard as it gets!