Violence, personal safety and security are all contextual, which is why a rules-based approach to violence prevention doesn’t work e.g., there may be a time when your safest option is to walk down a dark alley – to avoid a potential threat in front of you - even though every top ten list of safety tips says that you shouldn’t do this. This is why personal safety should be taught as a “mindset” rather than a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” etc. Unfortunately, many instructors lack both the experience and knowledge to do this and present a reductionist approach to personal safety which when distilled down is basically a list of safety tips that they believe are universal. Often these “tips” are re-workings of practices security professionals engage in, and those giving the advice may not understand that these are contextual and, in some cases, not particularly relevant to the audience they are presenting/talking to. This purpose of this article is to illustrate the importance of developing a security/safety mindset, due to the contextual nature of violence, rather than blindly following a set of rules, however logical they may seem.

                One of the common misconceptions people have about those who work or have worked in security is that we’re always “on” e.g., that we’re perpetually checking our six, actively checking people out, walking with our heads on a swivel etc. When the situation demands such things, yes, but experienced security personnel recognize that this isn’t always necessary e.g., when I leave work to go to the grocery store it isn’t an overly planned, military-style operation etc., I don’t bother varying my route each time, and I’m not circling the rotary three times to check if anyone is following me. However, I do know the layout of the streets in my locale and know several different routes to get there that don’t rely on my GPS. I also know the location of various police stations and hospitals in my vicinity and neighborhood, and don’t need my GPS to find them. When I moved my offices and studio to our new location, I spent some time on Google Maps, getting the “lay of the land”, something I periodically do. I don’t – nor do I want to do – live my life as if I’m the central character in the Bourne Supremacy, and it would be disingenuous to suggest to those I teach and train that they should be living a highly-stressed life believing that everyone is out to get them.

                Neither do I – or any security professionals I know – insist, when they go to restaurants that they must be seated in a position which gives them “optimal visibility” of anyone entering, leaving or even simply moving in the establishment etc. If you are worrying about an assassination attempt on your life, restaurants and similar businesses are places you want to avoid, unless you have a security detail who are looking out for you 24/7 etc. If this is a concern of yours there are probably lifestyle choices you should have changed awhile back, and moving to another part of the country is likely to be top of your list in terms of improving and ensuring your safety. When I first started carrying out surveillance duties, the most important lesson I learnt was to blend in. Those working anti and counter surveillance are looking out for those engaged in such activities, e.g., if you “always” position yourself to have full view of everything going on, then you start to stand out. If you never appear “vulnerable” you start to stand out. So, the idea that people who work professionally always do certain things is somewhat erroneous. If I go to a place where I feel the need to keep my eyes on the door, I’ll leave, i.e., what kind of idiot stays in a location, possibly with their family, where they feel the need to do that? This idea of people being “sheepdogs” protecting others seems to have led some to believe that they should be guardians in dangerous places, rather than leaving them – and possibly taking the “sheep” who are with them along as well.

                This paranoid attitude of always needing to have “eyes” on everything means that there is an over-reliance on one sense. A lot of violence involves sound, such as shouting and raised voices, rather than stealth. Stealth attacks are the ones that we fear the most, as they come with no warning, however these are statistically rare/uncommon. Most aggression and violence is “loud”, and we may even hear it before we see it. Our startle reflex, which initiates our fear system and causes us to become adrenalized, is triggered by noise as well as movement, suggesting that we should be aware of the noise/sounds in our environment as well as what we are able to see. Whilst our eyes need to be pointed in the direction of whatever it is that may interest us, our ears don’t, and in some ways may be better able to pick up threats and dangers that are around us.

                When I was first taught tactical driving, airbags in cars weren’t common. It was only around the late 1990’s and early 2000’s that legislation started to be passed requiring new cars to have them. From a driving perspective airbags are phenomenal safety devices, however from a close/executive protection one they have their downsides e.g., if you need to ram a car that’s blocking you in you don’t want the airbag to go off when you do so. For this reason, you “disable” it. Would I advise any civilian to do this? Absolutely not. The airbag is far more likely to be useful in a crash, potentially saving your life, than being a hindrance in an extremely unlikely ambush/car-jacking scenario – if you are living in South Africa where these types of crimes are more common then may be it is a consideration, however if you’re a middle class person living in Massachusetts/New England, being involved in a car crash is far more likely. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t “tactical driving” skills that are beneficial for civilians e.g., learning to steer without crossing the hands/arms is beneficial as is keeping your thumbs on the outside of the wheel (prevents them getting broken in a crash), however personal safety and security need to be relevant to a person’s lifestyle, and this doesn’t mean that everything the professionals do is applicable.