It’s no secret that crime goes up during the holiday season. A quick check of your local news sources will confirm this fact. For the predators in our society, it is kind of like a month and a half of Black Fridays all rolled into one. Potential victims are everywhere and most of them aren’t paying attention like they ought to.
In addition to this, otherwise regular folks may be under a lot of pressure. Job issues and family issues may increase for many. And, of course, there is also the temptation to partake of a bit too much holiday cheer of the liquid kind. All of which can cause tempers to flare and conduct to become a bit more violent. It is the time of the year when the concerned citizen had better double down on personal safety and security.
To begin with, you don’t leave home without your personal defense gun. Yes, I know, you’re only going to run down to the corner store; take your gun anyway. And, you are right, nothing ever happens in your neighborhood, except when it does. Besides, the cooler weather of the season makes it a whole lot easier to conceal that piece of personal insurance so there’s really not one single good reason to leave the house without it.
And then there is the matter of personal communication with the members of your immediate family. Since virtually everyone has a cell phone these days, you just make sure that they have not forgotten it when they go out. There are also a number of tracking programs and devices; have you looked into obtaining them?
And, if at all possible, a family member should not go shopping alone. Even traveling in pairs makes you a less inviting target for predators. In addition, extra sets of eyes makes for more effective awareness.
Looking back at these few safety suggestions, you might point out that they should be practiced year-round, and you would be exactly correct. The holiday season is a good time to take a fresh look at the defensive techniques that we should be using all the time, both our personal safety and our home security. A really good holiday resolution might be to discuss these and other safety techniques with the entire family and making a fresh commitment to being alert, aware, and ready to deal with the predators of our society.
