What Should Be Your Survival Mind-Set in a Robbery?

This Could Save Your Life.

Many people shared their comments about how they would have handled the robbery incident I wrote about in January. I cut and pasted below what I believe were the most insightful and helpful comments. I also found a Website (scroll down) that can help you avoid high-crime areas in major cities across the country. This is a highly useful site that can help you stay safe.

“A” said, “I have a concealed weapons permit, and I carry a .45 with me at all times. When I travel into my territory, I ship the weapon to the hotel where I am staying. All you have to do is show the robbers the barrel of the gun through the car window and watch them run.”

“B” responded, “What happens if ‘showing it’ is not enough? What happens if the adversary is more committed than you are? Taking a life is a subject that requires more careful consideration – mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. If you are not committed to using your weapon to take a life to save your own, then you may as well not carry it. Because what you are now doing is introducing a weapon into a conflict in which no weapon may have been present to begin with. And, if your adversary is more committed to taking a life than you are, then he will simply take that weapon from you and use it against you.”

“C” stated, “Between us, I would have treated the robber like a speed bump.”

“D” responded, “If you ever take another human being’s life, even in defense of your own, your life will change forever. Not only will it change you internally, but you will more than likely be detained by law enforcement, investigated, and even if you were completely justified in your actions, you will be sued.”

“E” commented, “The robber could have slit your throat after he got your money. Every situation is different. You got lucky this time. There are those who won’t bargain with you; to them your life means nothing.”

“F” replied, “The development of a survival mind-set is critical to your personal safety. A lot of us believe, ‘This won’t ever happen to me. This happens to other people.’ That’s a self-defeating mind-set. Crime and violence are indiscriminate. When people are in a threatening situation, they tend to react with ‘I can’t believe that this is happening to me.’ This immediately impacts their capacity to survive. A better response would be, ‘I knew this would happen one day, and I am ready.’ Your mind is, without a doubt, the most important weapon you bring with you to any encounter.”

Before you travel, check the crime map of the city you are visiting

Log on to http://spotcrime.com. The map below shows a map of all crimes that occurred in San Francisco in one day: January 25, 2010.



The map below shows a map of all robberies that took place within the past six months.



More dos and don'ts from SpotCrime

“Follow the robber’s demands quickly. The longer the robbery takes, the greater the chances of violence. Your goal is to get rid of the thugs as quickly as possible.”

“Make sure you let the robbers know of every step you make to confirm that you understood their demands. Be clear, be specific and give them exactly what they ask without extra commentary like, ‘I got this watch from my grandfather.’”

“Make a mental note of any physical characteristics of the robbers. After they leave, write down as much as you can remember.”

“Don’t ever follow the robbers on foot or by car. For example, running into the street to get a better look at their license plate may put you in harm’s way. “

“Next time you travel, choose a hotel that’s in a safe spot. Check this Website http://spotcrime.com. ”

I’d like to thank everybody for sharing some great insights.

Please share your comment on this post.
Email this blog to a friend