Hostile Environment UK

 

Operating in a tactical situation puts a person into a high stress state and causes hyper alertness that is fuelled by the adrenaline pumping around the body. This adrenaline release helps a person to react quickly to any threats encountered and is part of the bodies fight or flight function. When a person is expecting conflict, they are able to mentally and physically prepare themselves before the event happens, but when away from high stress situations and back in normal life, a persons response to an act of violence or aggression can be dulled and not as effective which makes them vulnerable.

 

As we drift through everyday life, we can become complacent about the safety of our surroundings – especially familiar environments such as the route to and from work, the local pub and supermarkets etc. Car journeys to a frequently visited destination can seem boring, so we tend to switch off from what is happening outside of the vehicle. But we need to remember although the actual route we take will always be the same, the situations that are developing around us are constantly changing and can occasionally pose a threat. Every time you walk down the street, I can guarantee there will be people looking down at the screen of their smart phone whilst walking along and wearing headphones listening to music, instead of paying attention to what is going on around them. This can make these people easy targets for street robberies or other acts of violent crime.

 

Applying a few simple techniques to everyday life can help us become more aware of potential risk, and then deal with an incident when it happens. This could be spotting an individual among a crowd of people who is acting suspiciously or being aware of an aggressive driver who is now following you after a ‘road rage’ incident whilst travelling somewhere in your car. Even having an ERV arranged and an escape route planned to get out of a town or city quickly following an incident such as a terrorist attack is worth considering. However, to recognise and then deal with these threats first requires a change of habit and thought process. If we automatically looked for threats by scanning the area around us and approached everyday situations in the same inquisitive way, we would be more aware of risks to our personal safety and end up in a better position to avoid them. But this is easier said than done and requires some mental training.

 

Any conditioning that trains your mind to recognise and respond quicker to a threat is going to be a good thing. To be aware means noticing detail. It is this detail that will indicate that there is potential for trouble or that something is already happening. How often do you walk down the street and look around but not actually take notice of anything? How often do you drive home from work and reach a certain point in the journey and suddenly think “I can’t remember driving past …….” So, to be able to respond, we first need to be aware. Try this; the next time you walk down a busy high street discretely look around at what is going on. Start off by focusing on one detail like trying to pick out everyone who is standing still in the street or sitting down on a bench. When cars drive past, try to remember a few basic details such as the make and colour. When driving in your car, observe the detail of the vehicle in front of you and regularly check the drivers mirror to do the same for any vehicle behind. Carrying out mental exercises like these encourages us look and notice detail, rather then heading blindly into a situation that could result in you or your family becoming a victim. Of course, there is a very fine line between awareness of risk and paranoia, so it is important to keep a check on reality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                 Busy environments such as city centres can hide all manner of risks to personal security

 

There was a recent case where I was out one evening and walking towards a busy pub. As I approached the pub, I noticed a black 4x4 parked where it shouldn’t have been - right outside the front door. When walking past the 4x4 I glanced inside and noticed a large gas cylinder sat on the rear seat. This looked suspicious, firstly because of how the vehicle was parked and secondly because of the way the gas cylinder was sat. I immediately recalled an attempted attack on the Tiger Tiger nightclub in London back in 2007 where gas cylinders and petrol had been left inside a vehicle as an IED. Although there was potential, the probability of an IED being in that 4x4 was very low, but it still made me consider it. Sure enough, after making further checks, the 4x4 didn’t pose any threat and belonged to some locals who were drinking inside the pub. Although the likelihood was that all would be innocent, my thought process worked because I was alert enough to recognise the potential for an IED threat by using observation skills, but at the same time applying a bit of common sense and reasoning. But just for a minute, think of the devastation that could have been caused had there been an IED placed in the 4x4 and not discovered. It was thanks to an observant ambulance crew who noticed the car bomb outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in London that nobody was injured or killed.  In these modern times, anything is possible, and nothing is safe.

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                                                       Scene of the unexploded car bomb outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in London

 

Avoidance is the best way to stay safe when out in public. I try to avoid choke points such as narrow walkways and give obvious troublemakers who are drunk or on drugs a wide birth. I don’t flash my wallet or mobile phone around in the street and I am always aware who is around me. However, sometimes trying to avoid trouble just isn’t enough and the trouble will come and find you. This is when physical training becomes extremely useful. Practicing unarmed combat  will certainly condition you mentally by hardening your response to the threat and improve your reaction time. Harness any fear because it is normal and in fact can help sharpen your senses, so there is no shame in being scared - the important thing is to stay in control and remain focused.

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In everyday life you will not be carrying a weapon, so unarmed combat will be your only option for defending yourself. The first rule in any civilian self-defence teaching is to avoid trouble before it happens. The next rule is to escape the danger at the earliest presented opportunity. Remember, there is nothing wrong with running away from an attacker who has pulled a knife out on you. However, if it does come down to using force to stop any kind of violent attack, the two self defence systems that I have found to be effective are Krav Maga and Tactical Edge. Krav Maga is an Israeli fighting system and Tactical Edge has been developed and taught within the UK. Both are devastatingly effective against stopping an attacker. There are no niceties about either of these fighting systems – they just get the job done quickly, which is what you want – not a prolonged struggle with an attacker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                 Defending against a knife attack using Krav Maga

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                    Pistol Disarm Technique

 

Although every person has a right to defend themselves, it is important to only use what force is deemed necessary and proportionate to threat posed – remember controlled aggression, not losing control. Get this wrong and you will probably end up in court justifying your actions. But if you were truly in fear for your life then the saying “I’d rather be tried by twelve than carried by six” sums it up pretty well in my mind.

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