Options for Dealing with Confrontation/Attack

Preparation

"Prepared is fore-armed". By rehearsing possible options and techniques to utilise in the event of a personal confrontation we are effectively ‘psyching’ ourselves to deal with an incident prior to its occurrence. The formulation of a personal safety plan, prior to an incident occurring, will ensure that the individual has a range of strategies available to assist them in not only the prevention of the confrontation itself, but also to effectively deal with the confrontation.

Another preparation technique that can prove useful in preparing ourselves for confrontation is visual imagery. This technique is used effectively in many areas, as exemplified by the safety instructions given to passengers before an aeroplane takes off. As many people find it difficult to think clearly in panic situations, preparing them prior to an incident gives them automatic options to exercise if an incident were to occur. Accordingly, by mentally visualising what we could do to stop an attack and escape, we have a greater chance of thinking clearly and automatically reacting, should an attack ever occur.

Motives of the Attacker

It is important to attempt to identify the motivation behind the confrontation, whether it is to rob you of your property or to assault you.

Robbery

If the motivation for the confrontation is to rob you, you need to ask yourself whether it is worth placing your personal safety at risk for the sake of property that can generally be replaced.

It is recommended that you take whatever action you can to preserve your safety. This may mean handing over your wallet or handbag. In this instance you should also try and note the description of the offender, details of the attack (including how and in which direction the offender left) and report the matter to police.
Remember that you should try to keep cash and valuables that you carry to a minimum, so that if you are robbed you are less inconvenienced.
Assault

If the motivation for the confrontation is to assault you, there are a wide range of different strategies available for you to consider. Firstly, it is good to be aware of some of the common characteristics of assault to determine what the most likely circumstances are for such a confrontation to occur.

Research has shown that the majority of assaults are committed by a person known to the victim. Males aged 15 - 24 years are the most likely group to be both the victims and perpetrators of assault. (ABS (1998) Australia Now - A Statistical Profile, ABS Canberra) Further, whether the offender is known or unknown, they target the same thing - vulnerability. Therefore, confidence, assertiveness, trusting and acting on instincts and strong body language are extremely necessary in preventing or stopping any attack.

If you are attacked, there are a range of strategies that you can adopt. Above all, you should do whatever you believe will keep you the most safe at the time. If you can escape by any means, such as running away, it is highly advisable that you take this option and report the incident to police.

Physical Self Defence

In Queensland you have the right to physically defend yourself with reasonable force, provided that this force is authorised, justified or excused by law. It is not necessary to attend self defence classes or undertake martial arts training to be able to effectively defend oneself. Each person has a survival instinct that acts to preserve their safety if threatened. The determining factor as to whether a person can successfully defend themselves is their commitment to their own personal safety.

Screaming

One of the most effective self defence techniques is screaming effectively. An effective scream involves making a loud, guttural roar, generated from the depths of your diaphragm. The scream should be aggressive and ‘roar-like’ indicating your anger at the attacker, rather than a high-pitched squeal of fear. An effective scream has the potential to achieve a number of results.

Firstly, an effective scream turns fear of being attacked into anger, and in so doing produces an adrenaline rush. This will provide the defender with an instant energy and power burst. The adrenaline rush will allow the defender to move faster, think quicker and multiply their strength, in order to deal with the attack.

Secondly, the defender has unexpectedly turned from intended victim to aggressor and this is likely to temporarily ‘shock’ the attacker. This will not only allow a brief moment to execute further self-defence techniques to stop the attack and escape, but will also cause the attacker’s body to tense up momentarily - increasing the effectiveness of any strikes executed.

The third reason for screaming is to attract attention. Even if people don’t come running to assist you, the attacker will certainly be conscious of the possibility that someone may have heard you and may decide to discontinue the attack, rather than confront other persons.

Areas of Vulnerability

Although it is not a police function to provide self defence training for community members, police can assist the community in effectively defending themselves by identifying a number of areas of vulnerability on an attacker.

The three primary target areas are:

1. Eyes - if the attacker can’t see you, they are unable to continue with the attack.
2. Throat - if an attacker cannot breathe, they will be unable to continue with the attack.
3. Groin - if an attacker cannot stand, they will be unable to continue with the attack.

Other effective target areas include: the nose, kneecaps, ears, head and face of the attacker.ontinue the attack, rather than confront other persons.

Weapons

Depending on the situation, weapons may be used in self-defence. Items such as a pen, keys, hairbrush, (in fact, nearly any nearby object) can be used as an effective weapon. Remember to emphasise however, that the force used must be authorised, justified or excused by law.

As a rule, the law generally does not allow the carrying of anything that can be described as a weapon. This includes mace, spray dyes, most personal alarms, or any other items which have been specifically adapted, such as sharpened combs, knives carried for the purpose of self defence etc.

Options to Physical Self Defence

In an attack or confrontation there are a number of options available that do not require physical self defence to fend off the attacker.

• Faking a heart attack, asthma attack, epileptic fit, faint or mental illness;
• Faking a coughing fit and asking for a glass of water;
• Calling out to a fictitious person behind the attacker e.g. "William, help me" - if you are convincing there is no doubt that the attacker will look around;
• Tell the attacker that you have AIDS/Hepatitis;
• Verbal response - negotiate with the attacker;
• Tell the attacker that "Someone will be coming back in a minute";
• Ask to go to the bathroom to remove tampon/insert diaphragm;
• Be revolting - throw up, defecate/urinate/pick your nose;
• In the case of an attack involving a knife or other weapons, use the ‘fantasy’ option to remove the threat of the weapon, to enable escape e.g. "I’ve alwaysfantasised about this happening to me, but the knife makes me feel uncomfortable...";
• Wait for the attacker’s attention to be momentarily diverted and seek escape; and/or
• Anything else that you can think of to stop the attack or create an opportunity to escape.

Self Defence Courses

Whilst it has been previously mentioned that self defence courses are not necessary to successfully defend oneself, they remain an effective method of increasing awareness of practical personal safety options, as well as building confidence and commitment to safety. Police are frequently called upon to recommend self defence courses to members of the community and should be aware of how best to do this.

Self defence courses should address confidence, commitment, gender conditioning, as well as identify the myths and facts of rape and sexual assault. When targeted at untrained men and women, they should incorporate a number of self defence techniques that are non-strength related and easy to commit to memory. Ideally, the techniques taught should cover a range of target points (on the attacker), using a number of weapons (parts of the defender’s body) from a range of distances.

The Queensland Police Service recommends graduates of the Diploma in Women’s Self Defence Instruction to run self defence courses for members of the community. The list of graduates, (who are located in south-east Queensland only) is available from the Personal Safety Team, Crime Prevention.

Summary

This section provides a range of actions which may be effectively used in an attack or confrontation. There are obviously a large number of other actions, which have not been mentioned, but would also be effective. Any action that enables a person to survive an attack is an effective strategy.

Remember there is no particular strategy that will work in any given situation. It must therefore be consistently reiterated to community members that they must determine what options they feel will best keep them safe, taking into consideration the perceived motivation for the attack, their own personal strengths and weakness and any other accompanying environmental factors.