How Do You Protect Yourself From the Crime Waves in Your area?

Fortunately we have a garage so the vehicles aren’t left outside. If parking somewhere, we have to ensure that it’s in an active location. Lots of smash and grabs, even if nothing is visible.

There’re lots of petty crimes such as stealing from outside of homes. Bikes are really popular.

I wouldn’t even know this if I didn’t read the local FB groups.

Going out at night isn’t much of an issue as mentioned above, as long as it’s active. I do avoid walking outside of known areas.

Our largest city in the province has had small gang wars. Seven people have been killed in three weeks. These were in busy places with lots of innocent people around.
 

Geez, It's hard enough dealing with the affects of illness and aging and then having to also deal with these crime waves.

I don't usually go out real late but if I have to now I have a garage parking space so I don't have to be out on the street or in that parking lot here. I know some have a gun but I don't and most likely won't get one. I have pepper spray but it's years old and I don't know if it's still good. I take my cell phone with me for emergency calls, my dog probably wouldn't bite anyone but lick them to death. 😘

I was just watching this mornings 4 am news report and see that car jackings have been happening a lot in the nearby city. I don't think anyone would want my beater car but who knows anymore? The woman who was also held 10 years captive by Castro was just also car jacked. 4 of them threw her to the ground and put a gun in her face and demanded her car and money. They did not hurt her but in another related crime a man was shot who is now critical in the hospital. Man, these people are heartless and seem desperate.

So, what do you do to protect yourself?

Here is the carjackings story: https://fox8.com/news/fbi-4-wanted-in-connection-to-series-of-carjackings-across-northeast-ohio/
Like you Ruthanne, I don't go walking around late at night, and if I'm in an area in my car late in the evening, I'll keep my doors locked. When I was younger I didn't worry about anything like this at all. I had a good sized pepper spray that I always carried, but it was years old. I think I mentioned it here talking to SifuPhil years back. Well, last year I sprayed it over my back fence into an open field wearing safety glasses. Even though it wasn't windy, the spray affected me in a slight way. It pretty much just dripped out of the canister, rather than spray. I threw it out.

My husband wants me to replace it, but I'm not rushing to do it. If I have to use it on a windy day, the spray may burn my eyes and blind me instead of the attacker. If an aggressive coyote approaches me and my dog on a walk, spraying it at the coyote will likely sting and blind my dog too. While hiking in remote areas, I'll take a walking stick, and hope to use that in some way if needed, so far never have been attacked, so I'm not too worried. Although we always have firearms when we go camping, I haven't yet felt any need whatsoever to apply for a concealed carry in the city to carry it on my person.

There are some crimes where I live, but I don't feel immediately affected by any crime waves, no gangs to be seen, etc. I'm much more aware of my surrounding than I ever was when I was young, I think paying attention to what's going on around us, not taking foolish chances, and being smart and using common sense is good for most of us. I'll give a good fight if ever attacked, using whatever I have to blind the attacker and fight dirty to try and stop him. If he has a weapon, I'll have to use some tactics to outsmart him, maybe play along and take advantage of a weak moment. I won't ever go down without a fight.
 

Gee Wiz! I live in an apartment in a small town. Everything here is perfectly safe. Nothing ever happens here. I go outside for a walk each day and I never even lock my door. I reckon it serves those that live in the monster cities their just desserts when it comes to crime and all that pandemic stuff. I would never want to live in a large city no matter how much Hollywood tries to tell us that it's "cool!" No one around here even owns a gun. Maybe being a "Canuck" isn't so bad. I even sleep all night with my bedroom window and the sliding glass door to the balcony opened all night. Like, Marty Robbins used to sing, "Ain't I a Lucky One, Feel like a Son-Of-A-Gun."
 
Gee Wiz! I live in an apartment in a small town. Everything here is perfectly safe. Nothing ever happens here. I go outside for a walk each day and I never even lock my door. I reckon it serves those that live in the monster cities their just desserts when it comes to crime and all that pandemic stuff. I would never want to live in a large city no matter how much Hollywood tries to tell us that it's "cool!" No one around here even owns a gun. Maybe being a "Canuck" isn't so bad. I even sleep all night with my bedroom window and the sliding glass door to the balcony opened all night. Like, Marty Robbins used to sing, "Ain't I a Lucky One, Feel like a Son-Of-A-Gun."
I could have written your post, Packs.

Same applies where we reside.
 
I live in a small town in a quiet neighborhood surrounded by other small towns. Our two nearest cities are not that big, and while there is crime, it's not as bad as major cities. My car is garaged and doors are locked. My windows are 6 feet off the ground. I have a pistol. My usual haunts are safe. When I go off in the woods sometimes either hiking or fishing, I'm alone, and that's the only place I have concerns, so I carry a walking stick and a knife.
 
Crime happens in the daytime.,, too. Try to walk like you own the street and pay attention. Don't open your door to anyone unless you are expecting company. Know your neighbors. Carry something and don't have both hands full when entering your door.
 
... and he's roaming the streets untethered?
Well he served his time and now he is living in the neighborhood. As long as there are no complaints he is pretty much free. I haven't seen him lurking anywhere so I can't complain, but if he enters my house I will shoot. Hope I never have to.
 
I read something years ago - the article said when calling for help, don't yell "HELP!" A lot of people who hear you yell that won't want to be involved. Instead, yell "FIRE!"

The article said more people would respond to "FIRE!" than those who would respond to "HELP!". A study done by some university quoted in the story said it had been tested in several large cities.

Apparently more people are interested in seeing a fire than in seeing someone being mugged. Go figure....
 
At home, 12 gauge pump, one large dog and two smaller dogs and a good view of things. Also a camera , alarm system that works great.
When out and about I am always looking around , being careful. Up here very easy to spot those that don't belong. Right now, some time to relax, black flies have arrived and they are hungry.
🪰🪰🪰:D:D:devilish:
 
I built this to prevent any possibility of a quick forced entry. It attaches to the front entry door knob on one end and to the closet door knob 90 degrees from the front on the opposite end using 316L stainless steel chains fastened with hose clamps. If you push the door from the outside it forces the 1 1/2 inch diameter pole against the closet door. I have always had an added a security tool to my front doors.
 

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Little things.

Out & about. Car is locked as soon as I get in it in the parking lot. Driving with windows open, my purse is on the floor not on the seat. That same purse is on my body in the store, never sitting in the basket. One reported that she though tying the purse down with the baby straps kept it safe, until someone just took her wallet.

Home. There are dowels in the windows so they don’t open very far. People are often in the backyard enjoying summer and the thieves come in through the front. Keep the front doors locked. If we’re out even for half an hour, the alarms are set.
 
I live in a small town in a quiet neighborhood surrounded by other small towns. Our two nearest cities are not that big, and while there is crime, it's not as bad as major cities. My car is garaged and doors are locked. My windows are 6 feet off the ground. I have a pistol. My usual haunts are safe. When I go off in the woods sometimes either hiking or fishing, I'm alone, and that's the only place I have concerns, so I carry a walking stick and a knife.
FREE HINT FOR CHET: Carrying a walking stick and a knife is pretty good; depending on the kind of knife. My hint is, if you have a backpack, it would be a good idea to carry bear spray. If anyone tries to hold you up, give them a nice shot of bear spray. See how they like it! By the way, this is also a good free tip for you ladies that might be a little nervous wandering off the beaten path.
 
We are told that our small town is a very high crime area. Amazing if by crime they mean theft well OK, but the crime happens mostly on the west side and down town. We live up a very tall hill, and those petty criminals aren't too apt to walk up here. They lack wheels because they are poor as church mice that's why they want to steal stuff.
 
This gated community is very low in crime, obviously because it's gated. You don't get in here unless you live here, work here, have a "frequent guest" pass, or are cleared by our gatehouse personnel. (If you're expecting a guest, you're supposed to call the security people in advance and give them the guest's name.)

Some people actually leave their doors unlocked all the time, even at night. I think that's kind of nuts. But we can go out and walk day or night, and in the 13 years I've been living here I've never heard of a single mugging or any other crime. I've never seen or heard of anyone "packing," Maybe our security people do, but the regular residents don't, as far as I know. If there are any, they'd probably be a very small minority.

Of course, that level of safety disappears as soon as we drive out of our little community, and we get a lot more cautious. But obviously, we're not all walking around shooting each other; it's still considered a shocking tragedy when it happens. What triggers off these cases of overwrought people shooting and killing multiple people in crowded locations? Who knows? There are way too many guns out there, and they are too easy to buy. Revoking the Second Amendment might be of some help, although by this point it would be a little like locking the barn door after the horse is gone.
 
We're pretty sheltered here in Colorado. There's crime in certain neighborhoods, but there are only a few neighborhoods where I'd feel uneasy walking around — even at night. I live in a west suburb of Denver and never worry about somebody breaking in. A few miles to the east and there's a lot of gang activity, but it doesn't come into my neighborhood very often. I have heard gunshots a few times in the eight or so years I've lived there. They sounded like gunshots, anyway. One would think that if there were gunshots, you'd hear police sirens not long after, but that hasn't happened, so either the police arrived without running their sirens or they didn't show up, in which case, it probably wasn't gun shots.
 
Where I live, in the sticks, you would have to know that there are people living here. Just driving by on the main road, you'd never guess anybody lived back here. Before GPS, people could never find me. But I used to live on the wrong side of the tracks, and it never bothered me. I lived next to "Sander's Lane", which was on the news every night.
 
I guess I'd have to say, "I'll let you know when a crime wave hits our neighborhood." Lived here my whole 87 years and the "crime wave" hasn't struck yet. I'll feel bad when I have to pack a gun to go for groceries or pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. Our outbuilding are sometime locked and I try to remember to lock the car at night. Never thought things were as bad as some folks describe their day to day fears?
 


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