Violent assaults going on in the Neighborhood that I work in

Sounds like a situation where people, women in particular, need to start making sure they go around in groups and not walk alone. A group is a harder target than a single person, which all the attacks have happened to.

Whenever I go out late at night I always turn around every ten steps (yes, I count my steps). I always keep track by the sidewalk segments. 3 steps on one, two steps on the next, 3 steps, 2 steps, look behind. Crazy talk I know but nobody but the occasional biker gets the drop on me.

Stay safe aaradia.

 

I haven't really got anything to add to the discussion other than to say that I hope you stay safe, aaradia. And of course that goes for your friends and family too.

I just hope that the perpetrators of these attacks get caught quickly so that other women don't suffer at their hands.

 

From what i can tell, the neighbourhood is a relatively wealthy, culturally diverse uptown area with an active nightlife (bars, restaurants, etc). There will be cars and pedestrians on the streets long after dark, and if additional security measures are deployed, it may become a difficult challenge for would-be predators. There is also the North Park Community Association which organises a Citizens Patrol program (existing since 2012) as a purely hands-off security measure (effectively acting as overt surveillance).

At this time of year, last light will be around 2130h, with first light at 0400h. Most attacks will occur within this period, as potential ambushers will benefit from the decreased visibility, and tiredness of workers (ie. potential victims or witnesses) returning home after a late shift.

Based on the news reports you linked, we have the following information about the attacks.

Jun 11th: 0100h - Lone F assaulted by 1 man
Jun 17th: 2330h - Lone F assaulted by 2 men
Jun 21st: 2140h - Lone F assaulted by 2 men
Jun 24th: 0100h - Lone F assaulted by unknown assailant(s)

In the attacks, victims were all blindsided, with little or no warning. This would indicate that they were followed, or walked into an ambush zone. All attacks involved immediate physical violence with no dialogue reported. There were no reports of weapons used. All attacks were believed to be of a sexual nature. All victims were lone females travelling after dark.



TARGET HARDENING SOLUTIONS:
The following is a list of measures that can be actioned by individuals to decrease their vulnerability, avoid the profile of previous victims, and decrease their appeal to would-be predators.

Travelling in groups
Wearing trainers/sneakers if possible
Carrying easily accessible weapons/personal alarm systems
Self protection training
Knowledge of criminal methods
Watching for potential ambush positions
Route planning and variation


SITUATIONAL CRIME REDUCTION MEASURES:
The following is a list of measures that can be deployed to make it harder for attacks to be carried out. It must be noted that such measures may also result in crime displacement rather than crime reduction.

Increased patrols between 2130-0130 (Neighbourhood Watch, Private Security, Law Enforcement, etc)
Bright lights installed covering potential ambush positions
Lighting/environmental alterations made to compromise potential observation points and lairs
CCTV/dummy CCTV installed outside buildings to provide visual deterrent



My apologies if i've covered anything that is old hat and/or not applicable (the above is a bit of a rush job compared to the reports i'm used to doing!). However, this should give you a relatively comprehensive framework to go by. My advice would be to contact the NPCA and see what programs are already operational, and look at augmenting/assisting those, perhaps with the help of a few civic-minded friends.

 

It is depressing when this happens. In my local area we had two serial killers in the last twenty years. It is important to be wary, particularly when there is a known threat, it is however important to remember that violence is the exception rather than the rule.

 

Idiots and a serious beating waiting to happen

 

Didn't they see the Incredibles? NO CAPES DARLING

 

Wow.

I always wonder what stops these kinds of people from just going out and buying some legit tactical gear. You know, like a plate carrier (body armor), hard knuckle gloves, tactical pants/shirts (tougher material), sure fire flashlights and the myriad of non-lethal weaponry available to the public. Maybe some simple night vision optics, to see down dark alleyways and whatnot. Hell, it would be more legit if they strapped a police siren with flashing lights to their back and turned it on as they run towards danger.

 

i actually know one who uses legit tactical gear and i believe works/has worked with either LEOs or the military. pretty cynical and pragmatic dude, too. others though... not so much (and i believe some pretty bad things have happened before when this sort of people were more like the dudes in the link than the dude i know). the thing is also that a lot of the people who do this are more the community service type, where they adopt wacky appearances but not the actual persona of a crime-fighter, but not everyone knows it, and you end up with guys like these who often have no clue about crime, violence or anything related, with the expected results.

 

Think we discussed "costumed vigilantes" before in another thread.

I'm a massive comic book fan and also work in dealing with victims of crime. I would say that (in the UK) if these guys are adamant in dressing up and wanting to help the community. Apart from charities, they can join up something called "Special Constabulary" where in the UK, any civilian (after checks) can join up as a voluntary Police Officer and basically be a Police Officer with full fledge powers of arrests and reports.

Training is there, everything is done legally and its damn sight more safer than drawing attention to one self with no support.

 

Oh yeah, it's more prevalent than it should be. There's quite a few vids on youtube of people doing that. My fave/worst one I watched was a guy dressed up like a colour blind Robin with a can of mace who ran into a mass fight between what looked like two groups of people and started spraying everyone while one guy recorded it and another stood in the wings.

The video ended with the three of them trying to find safety desperately calling the police as the group of people who they maced originally were driving round town looking to lynch them.

There was a guy here in the UK a few years back who did it for a number of years and generally only tackled minor antisocial behaviour and was well liked. He did it with his girlfriend until a couple of guys recognised him in the street and gave him a beating that scared him so badly he stopped.

There's another guy who goes around dressing like a ninja complete with sword and all somewhere up north from me. Not sure if he's still doing it. You could probably find the footage on Youtube, he was on a show called "Russell Howard's Good News".

 

One could pose as a lone decoy with 3-4 hard men surveilling her and lure these guys into an ambush...

:ninja2:

 

It got so big that Channel 4 (UK) had a documentary on some. One guy dressed up as a Roman Centaurian / Warrior...fluffy hat and shield included and went around the City centre on the weekends, trying to break up fights and disorder.

Another fella, looked a bit more scary as he dressed in camo gear, black face paint and hid in the bushes. You can imagine the calls to Police he attracts.

 

The Yeovil Ninja!

 

Wasn't he the guy that was on Russell Howard's Good News?