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Writer's pictureGinger Rae

The Importance of Situational Awareness in Personal Safety

Updated: Nov 17



Man following woman

Situational awareness is being alert to your immediate conditions or position. You use

this awareness to spot individuals acting inappropriate in a personal, public or social

situation. Be alert to:


- an escalation in behaviors

- change in voice tone

- getting closer to you than is necessary

- behaving in a strange manner


An amateur criminal is easy to identify. It doesn’t matter if you are an easy target or

not, you just have to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time. An amateur criminal:


- usually walks with an attitude

- elbows pushed away from body

- verbally aggressive and rude to people within a few feet

- confrontations are usually triggered by eye contact


Most criminals are in plain view, but due to a lack of situational awareness, the

intended victim is clueless to their presence.


I never understood why fear is a qualification. Awareness is a qualification, alertness is a qualification, knowledge is a qualification. - Sadhgura

A seasoned criminal uses a technique known as interviewing to determine if you

are an easy target. There are (4) types of interviewing methods criminals use:



Woman lack of situational awareness


Distant Interview - Takes place from a distance. This interview is done without

direct interaction to determine a person’s defensive capabilities. A criminal uses this

method to regularly identify easy targets.


Distraction Interview - The criminal makes a simple request to distract the

victim and get into position. An example of this is to ask for directions, help getting in

or out of a vehicle, etc.


Hostile Interview - This type of interview is intended to confuse and provoke the

victim with an onslaught of profanity and hostility.


Escalating Interview - Interaction with the criminal starts calm but quickly

becomes hostile. With this technique, the criminal tests boundaries, intimidates and

confuses the victim. It is not uncommon for this to occur within a “pack” situation.


A situation is neither positive nor negative. Every situation demands a different kind of response. Just be aware. -Sadhguru

To defeat these interviewing techniques, you must be aware of who is watching you,

maintain an assertive not aggressive presence, observe your boundaries and

most importantly, stay calm. Your reactions verbal or physical can cause the

situation to escalate.


Remember, the more time you spend on honing your awareness, the quicker you

will be able to remove yourself from or react to a potentially dangerous situation.



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