Personal Security Equipment Options

What types of personal security equipment is available to protect yourself while abroad? What can travelers do to ensure their personal protection and personal security?

Before providing personal security equipment options I would like to clarify that I always suggest no resistance to criminals during an incident. I feel that this is safest option. However, I would like to offer other personal security concepts here because it is something that has been asked of me by visitors to my website. What are these other options?

Verbal Judo

When confronted by a criminal you attempt to talk with him/her and reason your way out of the situation.

“Why are you doing this?” “What can I do to make you stop?”

These are questions that a victim may use in order to negotiate with a criminal trying to victim him/her. An advantage to this tactic is that the victim may be able to reason with the criminal; therefore, persuading him that what he is doing is wrong and convincing him to leave. A disadvantage is that the victim may anger the criminal more; as a result, causing the criminal to increase the amount of violence.

Passive Resistance

This involves doing nothing when confronted by a criminal. For example, when told to come with him the victim just sits on the ground and does nothing. The victim does not scream or fight but instead remains calm, stares at the ground, and does not listen to the criminal’s demands. An advantage to this reaction is that the criminal may think you are crazy, see that you will not listen to him, and go away. A disadvantage is that the criminal, like verbal judo, may increase the level of violence to get you to obey his commands.

Active Resistance

In this case, the victim fights back when confronted by a criminal. An advantage to this tactic is it causes the criminal to get scared and flee. A disadvantage is the criminal increases his level of violence or other accomplishes assist him to escalate the level of violence.

Non-lethal weapons

This option involves victims using weapons such as mace, stun guns, or batons when confronted by a criminal. The advantage to this option is that the criminal is injured or scared away from further harming the victim. This disadvantage is that it may encourage a criminal who simply wished to intimidate a victim, without violence, to commit acts of violence. For example, a criminal whose original intent was to rob his victim may end up killing the victim after experience resistance from him/her.

Lethal Weapons

The use of this option involves the victim retaliating against a criminal by using a knife or gun and attempting to kill the criminal. For example, a criminal breaks into the home of his victim, is confronted by the victim, and the victim shoots and kills the criminal with a gun. An advantage to this option is that it immediately stops the threat from a criminal and encourages other criminals not to do the victimize others. The disadvantage is that the victim could be prosecuted for his/her acts against a criminal. This all depends on which country the victim resides in or is visiting.

Which ever options travelers choose, you are reminded that you can carry any weapons in your luggage without authorization from airline security officials. If you attempt to bring these items with out authorization and they are discovered during airport screening, then you could be in major trouble with law enforcement. Also, law enforcement officials at your destination most authorize foreigners to carry weapons, even mace, in certain foreign countries.

As stated above, I cannot legally recommend any personal security equipment. The best advice I can offer is to resist a little as possible, obey the criminals’ commands, and hope he leaves with as little violence as possible. This, I believe, will ensure personal security.

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