Staying Safe
Mobility impaired, blind, people lacking in confidence are especially vulnerable to muggers and thieves when out and about. Always try to walk (or wheel) tall and move with purpose.
Thieving
Keep attention to the place where your money, phone and other valuables are kept and don’t put them in pockets which can be rifled without your noticing, for example in a bag strapped to the back of your wheelchair, or a front pocket of a ruck sack. Try not to use your mobile in the street, as that means your attention is elswhere and your bag could be grabbed, and so could your phone.
Don’t leave bags with valuables in them on the floor in dark restaurants, cafés or seated in the cinema.
If you have your mobile phone stolen and feel stranded, unable to get into a public phone booth or reach friends for help, tell a policeman or somebody nearby, and ask them for assistance. Most people are only too happy to help others out, unless they are in a rush.
Mugging and Date Rape
These tips come from Geoff Thompson’s martial arts book on defending yourself against crime. It’s called Dead or Alive and deals with both physical attacks and date rape.
As this book is not aimed at disabled people, it assumes the reader has full control over their bodies and can fight. Mat Fraser trained in Karate as he wanted to protect himself with his legs, as he has short arms. If you are able to train in some kind of fighting or self defence, so much the better. The police sometimes run courses.
However, let’s assume you have no fighting capabilities, and need to use other skills from Geoff’s book.
Physical Attacks
Geoff Thompson offers his reader this tip: that that an attacker can be temporarily disarmed by jamming their thought processes and throwing them mentally, by talking to them. Just by asking the question, “hey, how is your mother?” will stop them in their tracks, and worry you might really know her. He might immediately run off.
This cannot be guaranteed. In his book, this tactic is to give the reader space in time to serve a mighty blow to the attacker and lay them flat. You may have to rely cunning could elaborate verbally, saying his mother used to nurse/help you years ago. And you can scream loudly in the hope that help will arrive from passers by. You could use a rape alarm or legal pepper spray — see http://www.selfdefenceweaponsuk.co.uk/legal-pepper-spray-uk. A self defence spray with a bag to help you carry it around with you, is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/
Then, if he has not yet run, he might be apprehended by a passer by, and/or be arrested.
Date Rape
On the first date, don’t go to places you are not familiar with and a good idea is to go out on a foursome.
If, at the end of the night, you invite him in for a coffee, stress that coffee will be all that’s on offer, or just don’t invite new people into your house. Don’t go to his place.
Say “no” emphatically if you want things to stop. If he does not stop tell him to leave, and use a rape alarm or legal pepper spray, see above.
If the man absolutely refuses to get out, you should leave, contact a friend via you mobile, or knock on a neighbour’s door.
Do things to put him off, like picking your nose, talking about periods piles and your ostomy bag.
If physically overcome, cry rape! — as loud as you can. And scream “stop this or it will be rape”.