Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Reporter
Turning the body will unbalance your attacker giving you the advantage to bring him down. - ANDREW SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
RECENTLY THERE have been several attacks on women in Jamaica, especially in the Corporate Area. Women have been pounced on while entering their cars at the parking lots and after exiting their vehicles at their homes.
Women in the insurance business have also been targeted. Insurance agents have been called by prospective clients and when the agent arrives at the meeting place, she is gun-butted, tied up and left alone, while their attackers leave with their car, house keys and all their personal belongings.
Victims
Glenmore Hinds, Assistant Commissioner of police says that women being attacked at parking lots might be because they are seen as robbery victims. "Persons are seen as potential robbery victims because when going inside (a supermarket or shopping outlets) , they give the impression that there is cash on them."
While noting that the numbers of attacks on women might have increased, Assistant Commissioner Hinds says that it is not a systematic targeting of women. These attacks he notes might be because women are seen as preys. "Certainly I don't think it would be accurate to say that of late women are under attack.
But last year more women were killed or injured. The majority of those who were killed were not random acts, but mostly those involved in gang activities or relatives of persons involved in gang activities," he said.
Mr. Hinds said that the main reason for attacks on women might be robbery. "However the main motivation for the robbery attempt on women is that they are often seen as inferior in size and physical ability."
He concludes that violent attacks are mostly committed on men. "After deep analysis you will find that there are more males are being robbed. However more women, than before, are being killed or injured."
Safety tips
Assistant Commissioner Hinds has provided these following safety tips:
1. If you travel in a car at nights, keep windows and doors locked. It is always safe and important to give yourself some distance between your car and another vehicle where you can maneuver if it becomes necessary. Do not stop on the bumper of a car.
2. When in a shopping area, make a quick visual environmental scan to see if persons visually idle are paying attention to you or your belongings such as your car. Persons could be looking to see what you have or for valuables to rob.
3. Never leave parcels, articles or valuables on your car seat. This is potential for would-be robbers.
4. When driving at nights, constantly glance through your rear view mirror to see if anyone is following you. If so, drive to a police station or a busy area like a shopping centre or mall.
5. When going home at nights always have your house key at hand. Don't have your key in your handbag so you have to be fidgeting for them.
6. It is always useful to call someone at home in advance of your intended arrival, so they can meet you at the front gate.
Personal security
Ruth Reida Corporate Area resident, in an attempt to protect herself, has employed personal security from King Alarm. She pays $3,203.75 monthly (inclusive of general consumption tax), for a Panic/Hold Up System with Roadside Assistance and Ambulance Response Services.
With these services Mrs. Reid is provided with two buttons - a panic and an ambulance.
The panic button she keeps with her and if she sees someone strange in her yard she presses it. The panic button also serves the purpose if she is getting home and something happens at the gate.
Mrs. Reid's ambulance button is for health care purposes. "If I'm not well I press the button and they will get an ambulance detached where I am."
The most loved feature of her services from King Alarm is that two armed men will meet her at her gate when getting home late. "When I work late at nights I'll call them when I'm ready and I'll give them a time so that they can time my arrival. They meet at the gate or if I want they will meet me along the route and follow me home. But the one I use the most is that they meet me at the gate and see me in."
Mrs. Reid says that the King Alarm men on meeting her at her gate, will open it for her, check her street and her yard surroundings. Also, nine out of 10 times when she calls for meeting at her gate they arrive before she does. "Sometimes whether asked or not they will check around in the community throughout the nights and days.
"They are very polite, pleasant, punctual and efficient. King Alarm is also fairly reasonable. Last year I was out a lot and came home late at nights. For about four or five times a week I called and they were there seeing me in."
Mrs. Reid has been using the services of King Alarm for about two years since a family friend recommended it to her. "I find it very helpful," she says.
Stories from those who were attacked
A NEW TWIST ON KIDNAPPING
About a month ago there was a woman standing by the mall entrance passing out flyers to all the women going in. The woman had written the flyer herself to tell about an experience she had, so that she might warn other women. The previous day, this woman had finished shopping, gone out to her car and discovered that she had a flat tyre. She got the jack out of the trunk and began to change the flat.
A nicely dressed man in business suit and carrying a briefcase walked up to her and said, "I noticed you're changing a flat tyre. Would you like me to take care of it for you?" The woman was grateful for his offer and accepted his help. They chatted amiably while the man changed the flat, and then put the flat tire and the jack in the trunk, shut it and dusted his hands off.
The woman thanked him profusely, and as she was about to get in her car, the man told her that he left his car around on the other side of the mall, and asked if she would mind giving him a lift. She was a little surprised and asked him why his car was on other side. He explained that he had seen an old friend in the mall that he had not seen for some time and they had a bite to eat and visited for a while he got turned around in the mall and left through the wrong exit, and now he was running late. The woman hated to tell him no because he had just rescued her from having to change her flat tyre all by herself, but she felt uneasy.
Then she remembered seeing the man put his briefcase in her trunk before shutting it and before he asked her for a ride to his car. She told him that she'd be happy to drive him around to his car, but she just remembered one last thing she needed to buy. She said she would only be a few minutes; he could sit down in her car and wait for her; she would be as quick as she could be.
She hurried into the mall, and told a security guard what had happened, the guard came out to her car with her, but the man had left. They opened the trunk, took out his locked briefcase and took it down to the police station. The police opened it (ostensibly to look for ID so they could return it to the man). What they found was rope, duct tape, and knives.
When the police checked her 'flat' tire, there was nothing wrong with it; the air had simply been let out. It was obvious what the man's intention was, and obvious that he had carefully thought it out in advance. The woman was blessed to have escaped harm.
INSURANCE AGENT HELD UP
A female insurance agent was called by a woman and asked to meet with her one evening at 19 Seymour Avenue - where swimming lessons are taught. The insurance agent went to the apartment where the door was answered by a woman. Then she was pounced upon from behind by a man who tied her up and blindfolded her. soon after, another insurance agent knocked on the door and was also tied up. The attackers took handbags, car keys, and other valuables and questioned their victims about personal identity numbers.
The assailants left the two women tied up in the apartment. The second woman was able to free herself an then untied the other. The two then raised an alarm and were taken in shock to Andrews Memorial Hospital.
One of the women says that somehow the attackers got hold of her business card with her cell numbers.
ATTACKED AT THE HOUSE GATE
"Sad to say, I have now joined the long list of people who have been carjacked!
I got home recently at about 9:10 p.m., got out to open my gate, a car swooped down behind mine before I could get back into the car, and a very pleasant, soft spoken young man, gun in hand, told me, "it's all right, is just the car we want, just cool!"
I'm no hero, not going to put up a fight for a car that's fully insured, so I said "can I get my bag, because I need my key to get inside?".
"No!"
He jumps in, swings the car around, hitting my legs in the process, and both cars went zooming down the road, with me screaming at the top of my voice! That's adding injury to insult, because my legs are swollen, can't put any weight on my left foot, so spent a few hours at the hospital getting X-rays done .
When the police came they proceed to ask me stupid questions about my address and age - AGE!!! I asked him what my age has to do with them finding my car! Why not ask me the car licence number?
In between bouts of crying I'm still thanking God that I wasn't shot. So here I am, confined to keeping my foot elevated for five days; minus car, check book, car papers, credit cards, money, address book, as well as work I took home. How the hell do I earn my living without a car?
*Name changed by request
