Do the twist

Canada -- A 21-year-old student at the York University was walking home when she was attacked.

"He was standing behind the tree and I didn't see him because it was pretty dark and he just stepped out from behind the tree and he said don't scream, and he pushed me to the ground," she recalls.

"I grabbed his pinky finger and I twisted it back and he pulled away from me because I hurt him and I ran to my house."

Source

Hazards at work, 16

It can't be said often enough: A knife is a dangerous, really dangerous weapon.
It's highly unpredictable, easy to carry, easy to use.
You also have this idea amongst some folks that you can "control the effect" - that is, you can easily use it as a deterrent to scare off, cut or stop a threat/attacker. This is far easier said than done folks!
Another thing is that since way too many are unaware of the danger involved, they fell it's "safe" or legitimate to carry such a weapon. And what do you do when you are being under attack? You use what you got at hand.
Facts: Once a knife is out, you have a potential lethal situation on your hands.

Story:
A bouncer is dead and a 35-year-old man is in critical condition after a bar fight in Blaine early Friday morning.

The bouncer, 24-year-old Greg Klaers, was killed while trying to break up that fight. His brother saw the whole thing happen.

A customer was also stabbed and critically wounded. Police arrested four men for assault.

Source

"To be expected"

Suzanne Swift went AWOL in January to avoid deployment with a battalion in which she underwent repeated incidents of sexual harassment and abuse. Now she is being thrown in the brig while only one of her three alleged transgressors has received so much as a letter of reprimand.

Swift’s former lawyer said that when Swift was targeted for sexual harassment by her platoon sergeant in Kuwait in February 2005 and was then manipulated into having sex with another superior in Iraq later that year, she did not file a formal complaint out of fear.

Her alleged assailant in Iraq "made it very clear to her that there would be real repercussions if she reported it, and she believed him," the lawyer said.

A study headed by Anne Sadler, coordinator of the post-traumatic stress clinical team at the Veterans Administration hospital in Iowa City, found that Swift’s experience was not uncommon.

That nationwide survey, which included women whose terms of service fell between 1961 and 2003, found that more than three-quarters of the respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment during their military service; a third suffered one or more completed or attempted rapes.

However, only 26 percent of the rape survivors reported it through official channels while in active duty. The most common reasons given were fear that the report would negatively impact the survivor’s career or make things worse. A belief that nothing would be done and fear that they would be blamed by their co-workers were also prominent concerns. A shocking 19 percent thought that "rape [is] an expected part of military service."

Source

For the thrill of it

UK -- An increasing number of muggers carry out violent crime for the thrill of it and not financial gain, a report has said.

Boosting street cred or feeling a rush - especially when the victim fights back - are among the reasons why muggers carry out their attacks.

A poll of over 120 persistent offenders comes a day after two teenagers were jailed for the death of City lawyer Tom ap Rhys Pryce who was killed while being mugged.

The study, by Professor Trevor Bennett, director of the University of Glamorgan's Centre for Criminology, and Dr Fiona Brookman, says: "Both the amount and the severity of gratuitous violence used in street robbery are increasing in the UK."

Source

Girl violence

Pittsburgh schools police Chief Robert Fazden remembers a fight more than 10 years ago at Peabody High School, involving hundreds of students in the parking lot.

The size of the fight was daunting enough, but even more surprising to Fazden was that girls fought other girls alongside the boys -- and just as violently.

"They pull hair, scratch, and girl fights are very, very hard to break up," Fazden said. "You don't want to pull them apart and hurt them, but you don't want them to kill each other, either. Girls can be just as violent, or more violent, than the boys. Girls fighting has always been an issue for us. We see it every day."

According to national statistics, girls today are more violent than they were just five years ago. Arrests of girls under age 18 nationwide for crimes including aggravated and simple assaults are up 15 percent from 2001 to 2005. Girls account for about a quarter of total assaults committed by juveniles, compared with less than 10 percent in 1980.

Source

Red flags

Here is a great article about "red flags", or danger signs that I like to call them.
It's a great read by an (obviously) experienced police officer.

Even though the examples may be a little off from a civilian point of view, the underlying principle is spot on - always observe and think; use your radar!

Now this may sound tiresome, but I can assure you it is not. It is simply a matter of getting used to having your head and your body at the same place and time. It's nothing fancy at all.

Remember that good self-defense and self preservation begins with awareness. This is not the same as walking around being scared or being "prepared for the worst". Awareness is using your senses and your mind in a relaxed manner. It takes a little exercise, that's all.

Some of the things that may lower your awareness:
Drugs and alcohol, being tired, running late, using headphones or talking on a phone, being upset or angry, being occupied with past or future issues, being caught in tourist traps, travelling, shopping, watching or listening to something that intrigues you - and so on.

Hazards at work, 15

Minnesota -- A 15-year-old was charged Tuesday in the rape and robbery of a Star Tribune newspaper carrier.

The woman, in her 30s, was returning to her car after delivering newspapers about 3 a.m. Aug. 13 in Brooklyn Park when the teenager confronted her on his bike, according to the charges. Telling her he had a gun, he took her debit card and sexually touched her, a court document said.

When she said no, Johnson became angry and ordered her out of her car. He then beat her with a stick like those used in karate, the document said.

Source

The dangerous kick

This is an interesting study about the dangers of being kicked.
Mind you, we're not talking about kicking in general her - the biggest danger is being kicked to the head while you're down on the ground. Nasty stuff!

UK -- Kicking somebody during a fight can be more dangerous than using a sharp or blunt weapon, research shows.

A study of 25,000 people admitted to A&E found use of feet was more likely to inflict serious injury than blunt or sharp objects or fists.

However, the Violence Research Group in Cardiff, found weapons caused a greater number of severe injuries.

In total, the researchers assessed 31,000 injuries inflicted on patients attending the University Hospital Wales A&E between 1999 and 2005.

Source

Bad eye sight

Nobody said anything about all criminals being too bright ...

Story:
A thief with decent vision, not to mention foresight, would never try to rob downtown optician Tom Kirkland.

Kirklands designer eyeglass store in Richmond is across the street from a Capitol police station.

Kirkland, 51, is armed, and he's an instructor in karate. His sales associate, Neal Griffin, 39, is a bodybuilder.

Source

What time is it?

A common method this - to ask a potential victim for the time. It is a part of what is commonly referred to as an "interview", plus it's a good (from the culprit's point of view) method of distraction.

Story:
Michigan -- Pittsfield Township Police say they've identified a man accused of pushing a woman into her car and fondling her in the parking lot of a store a week ago.

The suspect, a 24-year-old township resident, was captured a few days later after at least two people called police to report his bizarre behavior near a bus stop. The callers said a man was acting odd and following women, police said.

A few days earlier, the 26-year-old woman said she was getting into her car at a store when a man approached, asked for the time, then pushed her into her car and groped her. She said she screamed and kicked him away.

Source

A brutal indifference

UK -- It's too late for the five Ipswich street sex workers found brutally murdered in Suffolk. But to prevent the death toll rising, urgent action needs to be taken to protect other women who are working on the streets of Britain.

Among men convicted of murdering sex workers, killing is rarely the first offence. There is often a history of violent attacks on women. Street-based sex workers are at risk of violence and it is vital that a relationship of trust exists between the women and the police officers who can apprehend men who commit violent sexual offences against them. Sadly, trust is all too often absent between these two groups.

Not including the latest victims, at least 51 sex workers have been murdered since 1990. Most women working on the streets are funding expensive drug habits. They are among the most vulnerable members of the community. A report from the Economic and Social Research Council found that two-thirds of sex workers had experienced client violence, that women working on the streets were at greatest risk of violence, and that 28% said punters had tried to rape them.

Overwhelmingly, these women are not involved in serious crimes. While soliciting is a (non-imprisonable) offence, prostitution in itself is not illegal. More needs to be done to guarantee women a sympathetic hearing if or when they report attacks to the police.

Source

Christmas spirit

Ah... the peace and quiet of Christmas :-)

Story:
UK -- A 10-year-old robber and his two young accomplices got more than they bargained for when one of their victims attacked them with a Christmas tree.

The young thugs had already robbed three children when they decided to pick on a woman who was walking along Chelsea Road, Lever Edge, with a toddler.

But the babyfaced robbers soon realised they had taken on more than they could handle when the woman fought back with the Christmas tree she was carrying. The boys, one aged 10 and two aged 12, fled.

Source

Binge-drinking

UK -- A Hampshire-wide campaign has been launched targeting binge-drinking and how it can end in rape or violence.

The film, radio and poster campaign, run by the Hampshire Drug Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) will promote a safer drinking message to young people aged between 13 and 20 by showing how binge drinking makes them more vulnerable.

According to statistics from the DAAT alcohol misuse is involved in around 39 per cent of rape or attempted rape cases in Hampshire. Latest statistics suggest that date rape drugs are involved in a less than two per cent and that excessive alcohol consumption is the real danger - to both men and women.

Source

Short-cuts

Many attacks happen as we are hurrying to get back home at night - taking a short-cut.

Story:
Sweden -- A 20-year-old woman was subject to an attempted rape in central Sandviken Saturday morning.

The incident occurred in a wooded area around 3 a.m. as the woman was on her way home from a night club. She was attacked as she left a road and walked along a path with no lighting.

The assailant grabbed his intended victim from behind. He threw the young woman to the ground and ripped off her pants.

The woman started to kick and scream at the assailant. She hit him with a solid kick between the legs that sent him running away.

Source

Hazards at work, 14

Pennsylvania -- Camden County authorities are asking for the public's help to find a man who robbed a pizza deliverywoman at knifepoint.

Police said the victim didn't lose her cash without a fight but said the robbery was a bold and well thought out plan.

The young pizza deliverywoman never imagined somebody would try to steal her well hard earned cash that she needs for bills and the holidays.

Police do not condone nor do they encourage it but she fought back, dragging her attacker to the ground, that is, until he pulled a knife.

Source

A staggering toll

Nearly 400 rapes were reported in Northern Ireland this year, it has been revealed. The alarming rise in the level of attacks was disclosed today as the government came under intense pressure to offer women greater protection from violence.

With the threat claimed to be at crisis level, political parties appalled by a damning new report demanded action.

Meanwhile, police councillors have been brought in to help a teenage victim after two men attacked her in Woodvale Park, north Belfast, leaving her seriously traumatised.

Her ordeal joins a staggering toll which showed 390 rapes and another 25 attempted sex assaults reported across Northern Ireland between January and November. Of the rapes 351 were against women and 39 on men.

The police figures showed a big rise from 318 for the same period on 2005 and 345 in 2004.

Source

Hazards at work, 13

New Jersey -- A 64-year-old township man stands charged with aggravated sexual contact and lewdness after attacking a nurse who had been caring for his disabled daughter, police said.

The man approached the 32-year-old registered nurse Sunday as she changed the daughter's clothes in his Germantown Road home, police said.

The man began fondling the nurse and tried to engage in sex with her, police said.

The nurse pushed him away and was able to escape to a nearby home, where a neighbor called police.

Source

'My-key-do' #2

Your car or house keys can be great makeshift weapons.

Story:
Israel -- The Haifa District Court on Wednesday sentenced a Kiryat Motzkin man to 10 years in jail for raping a 26-year-old woman he met on the Internet.

The 26-year-old man was also convicted of attempting to rape a 17-year-old girl he also met on the Internet.

Three days after raping the 26-year-old woman, the man attempted to rape a 17-year-old girl he met through the ICQ online chat service. The two met in the Haifa area, where the man led his victim into a secluded alley and attempted to rape her.

The girl struggled with the assailant, and managed to escape after stabbing him in the face with a key.

Source

A hood-head

Found this at hollabacknyc blogspot (a great blog by the way!).
Stories like this really makes me ashamed to be a member of the male population. There really are some pathetic and ignorant individuals out there ...

Story:
Tonight around 10 p.m., on a train back to her apartment in Williamsburg, a hooded man seated next to my best friend, a 22 year old woman, whispered in her ear "I am going to follow you when you get up."

He did follow her, just a step behind, up the subway steps of her stop and out onto the street. With great clarity in a life-threatening moment, she stepped inside a bodega, while he stood outside, waiting for her, and was fortunate to find a couple who were willing to walk her the few steps from the market to her apartment door.

When they exited the bodega, the hooded man was still there, waiting for his (potential) victim. Unfortunately, it took the help of two people--a woman to make her feel safe, and a man to protect her-- to allow this woman to arrive home unharmed.

The most important part of this is that my friend is safe, but I feel such anger and rage that men like this, who derive such a false, disgusting sense of power from physically and sexually threatening women in public (or private), can make strong, smart, powerful women like my friend doubt their decision to live alone if they choose, to live free and independent lives, or to merely live at all. I am completely disgusted, and concerned for my friend.

Submitted by E.M.

It's a gas

Texas -- An East Texas grandma is gaining national celebrity for her quick thinking.

75 year old Mary was carjacked at a Tyler Brookshires gas station, and fought back by spraying the suspected carjacker with gasoline.

Police used the OnStar in Mary's SUV to track it down and arrest the suspect.

"It had nothing to do with courage it had to do with fury. I was so mad. I didn't think about consequences. Bill (Mary's husband) said I wish you would have thought about the inside of the car," says Mary.

Source

Hazards at work, 12

Wales, UK -- An ambulance man has described how he was chased and attacked with a carving knife while on a call-out.

The 35-year-old, from Bargoed in Caerphilly county says he has had four months off work this year because of two assaults while doing his job.

He spoke as a Welsh MP's bill giving greater protection to emergency workers gets closer to becoming law.

A 52-year-old female paramedic from Cardiff, also described how she was punched in the chest when she tried to stop a man stealing an ambulance from the station.

"We've had plenty of violent attacks on staff and we tend not to even bother reporting the verbal abuse and foul language," she said.

Source

"Panic mode"

It's so easy to slip from healthy dozes of precaution and suspicion, to seeing ghosts everywhere.

Story:
In an example of how Internet rumors can take on a life of their own, suspicions and anxiety quickly filled the void of information after several Southwest Austin residents reported seeing a white van cruising their neighborhoods.

When calls to police yielded no immediate information, one resident e-mailed a bulletin to several of his neighbors and local media outlets that said police hadn't responded to reports of an attempted abduction of a 13-year-old girl by several men in a white van with Georgia license plates.

In response to a wave of concern from parents, three principals of area elementary schools put their campuses on lockdown, forbade students to walk home unescorted and sent letters home warning of possible danger.

The all's-clear came Sunday when police reported that several white vans full of door-to-door salesmen from Georgia combed Southwest Austin last week. They were selling magazines.

Child abductions are rare: Of about 797,500 children abducted in a year in the U.S., according to a 2002 Justice Department report, 7.3 percent were taken by someone other than a family member and less than 1 percent, 115 children under 18, were victims of strangers or of people with whom the children were only slightly acquainted.

"Unfortunately, parents are continually fed a diet of scare stories. When confronted with unusual circumstances, they can easily shift into panic mode," said Frank Furedi, a researcher on responses to fear and the author of the book "Paranoid Parenting."

Source

Female firefighters

California -- Female firefighters in LA are stepping out of the shadows.

Women are a tiny fraction of the department, numbering 95 out of its 3,625 firefighters. They are newcomers -- the first female firefighter was hired in 1985 -- to a field steeped in tradition and long considered the domain of men.

Many of the stories they tell never make it into official reports. Some women say they have been afraid to share incidents, even with one another. Most are loath to complain because in the firehouse, reputation is everything.

"You want to have a solid, iron-clad reputation: You're a hard worker, a team player," said Capt. Alicia Mathis, a 17-year veteran and one of 19 female captains.

But women are beginning to break that silence; the "go along to get along" ethos has begun to crack.

"This is not 'boys will be boys' stuff," said the lawyer representing firefighters who recently won settlements on harassment claims.

"You get into bed with a woman and start to physically assault her, that's not a prank -- that's an attempted rape."

Source

Six assault cases

Washington, D.C. -- Another woman has come forward saying she was attacked near Howard University, police say. So far six attempted sexual assaults have been reported in one week.

The attacker is targeting women walking alone just off campus, police say. All six incidents have occurred some time between 4 a.m. and 9:50 a.m.

In two of the incidents, the suspect used a knife. In each case, the victim managed to escape.

While police say there's no conclusive evidence the incidents are related, the descriptions of the suspect, whom they consider armed and dangerous, are similar.

Source

Punks in pink

Pink light? Well, I guess anything should be tested!

Story:
UK -- Pink lighting may be introduced in public places in Lancashire in a bid to stop teenagers committing crime.

The lights are intended to create a calming atmosphere - but they also show up spots on the skin.

Insp John Ainsworth, bases in Lea, Preston, believes putting the lights in well-known trouble spots could lead to a drop in anti-social behaviour.

Source

"Rape culture"

Most people think violence against women is a women's issue, and why wouldn't they? Girls and women ages 12 to 24 are at the greatest risk for experiencing rape or sexual assault, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, and almost all perpetrators are men.

The point is not to attack men but to understand that the society we live in makes people believe that rape is a women's issue and women need to deal with it alone.

Our society responds to the threat of sexual assault by telling our daughters not to walk alone at night, to always have Mace and to take self-defense classes. This is a reactionary response that may bring the number of completed rapes down, but not the number of attempts. To work more effectively toward ending rape, we must educate men and chip away at the rape culture we live in.

Source

Roll with it

A Colombian taxi driver got the better of an armed robber by rolling his cab over an embankment in Bucamaramanga -- with the assailant still inside.

The 66-year-old driver suffered a stab wound from the would-be thief, 16, who landed in hospital with multiple fractures, police said.

The driver's wife said her husband's wound was slight, but he feared the thief would kill him and so rolled his hack toward the embankment and jumped to safety.

Source

"Inexplicable instinct"

One of the first rules of self-defense: Always trust your instincts!
It goes without saying that taking a bogus cab/taxi is something that should be avoided at all costs. Even if a car looks like a taxi, does not guarantee it to be a legitimate taxi!

Source:
UK -- The incident happened when young student picked up what she thought was a cab at Lynn Bus Station at around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 5.

She thought everything was OK but an inexplicable instinct warned her not to give the driver her full address.

The driver was initially friendly and chatty but after she handed over payment at her destination, he pulled off again and would not stop.

The quick-thinking 17-year-old leapt from the vehicle when the driver reduced his speed just a few streets from where she had originally asked to be dropped off.

Source