Throughout the course of your day you have to watch out for theft, safety violations, and possible child abductions and that is on a good day. Never mind that you have to keep an eye out for possible gang activity, terrorists, and crazed gunmen with a death wish. Welcome to the world of private security where the hours are long and the work always has the potential to be dangerous because you’re always first on scene. During your career you may never be in a life or death struggle, but don’t ever think it can’t happen to you. Whether you have gun on your hip or just a radio you need to be ready for close combat.

For legal and insurance reasons most licensed security guards are restricted in the weapons they can carry and you’re limited in the level of force you can employ. In New Jersey, for example, guards can carry batons, but only if they have a permit to carry a firearm. Laws vary state by state, so before you start your first day find out exactly what the rules are for your job, and what your company’s policies are when it comes to the use of force. Legally, you might well be within your rights to stop and hold a shop lifter, but if the client doesn’t want a scene you could end up in a lot of trouble. So, keep your eyes open and never hesitate to call for help if you think you need it, and remember someone else’s property is never worth your life.

For the most part if you catch someone stealing or if you stop someone at the door and they don’t have the correct identification the incident probably won’t turn violent, but you have to be ready for the rare time when it does. You might be trained as a martial artist, but evaluate what techniques would work best for you on the job. Will your Taekwondo help you against someone with a box cutter, and do you really want to take the fight to the ground if you don’t have to? You need to train for realistic scenarios beforehand, and you need to have skills that will work in a variety of situations. Most people will give up when caught or simply run away, but you have to be ready for those who want a fight.

Security guards have prevented school shootings and terrorist attacks by being vigilant, so never think your job isn’t important. It isn’t easy staying awake if you’re doing a double shift, but if you’re not careful you could end up being the first casualties. Serial killer Ted Bundy drove passed a guard shack on a college campus with mangled body of a co-ed in his back seat and none of the five guards noticed because they were too busy talking. Be aware of your surroundings and follow the rules and you’ll be fine. You might want to be come a police officer or just want to pickup some extra hours, but make no mistake you’re on the frontline so you better be prepared when you’re on post.

by William Pehush

Edited by Admin.

Original article source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Pehush

You may consider yourself “streetwise” and able to hold your own in a fight. You may even work-out at the gym on a regular basis. Yet, anyone can become a victim of street crime or burglary at home. So, how do you avoid being a victim?

In today’s troubled times with economic woes, rise in drug use, and upsurge in violence and crime in general, the chance of being attacked or assaulted increase. More and more people are thinking about defending themselves. Gun sales are up tremendously. Interest in personal self-defense is on the rise. If you are one of these people interested in learning self-defense, then consider this.

Some martial arts systems have lost knowledge of basic self-defense tactics and techniques. Finding a school that teaches self-defense tactics is hard since most schools train for show and sport. Most martial arts schools have gotten away from the rigorous traditional training methods and replaced it with easy physical exercise type martial arts. The techniques taught in these schools lack in power and strength. This is why so many people trained in martial arts will choke when attacked on the street. Overcome this by learning combat self-defense from an instructor teaching solid tactics and techniques, a form of street fighting martial art.

So, many people run around like zombies with no ambitions or direction. You can see it in their eyes. This is a display of weakness. Their head bent down looking at the ground impervious to the environment and people around them. Criminals prey on these types of people. It’s a known fact. They know what to look for. They look for weakness! They look for vulnerability. They look for someone with their gaurd down, someone who is not paying attention.

These people can change their outlook on life immediately preventing them from becoming victims.

7 Tactics to Avoid Becoming a Victim:

1. Know and be aware of your environment
2. Keep the head and eyes up. If some scrupulous person looks at you, don’t just abruptly look away. Smoothly with the head up scan the room slowly keeping the eyes up. This appears as a non-threatening action but shows confidence. 3. Show confidence at all times. Stand up straight with shoulders pulled back in a comfortable position. Talk with authority when talking.
4. Know when to hold your ground and when to retreat.
5. Learn to read threatening body movements
6. Don’t clinch your fists when confronted.
7. If verbal invectives come into play, raise your hands to about shoulder height with the fingers pointing up. This has a tendency to let the person know you are aware of the situation in a non-threatening way. If something does happen the hands are ready to react.

6 Lifestyle Self-Defense Tactics:

(1). Stay away from bad areas. Every town or city has them. Avoid them as much as possible drive around them if possible.

(2). Know the neighbors. A lot of time is spent in the neighborhood. Know the neighbors and their demeanor.

(3). Lock car doors: Whether the car is parked or driving keep the doors locked. Don’t roll down the window for just anybody especially at a stop sign or stop light.

(4). Lock house doors: The same is true with the home. Keep the house doors and windows locked when not around or preoccupied in another area of the house.

(5). Public places are usually safe. It’s when walking from the public place to maybe the parking garage where problems arise. Stay in well-lit places.

(6). Self defense techniques that involve striking another individual should only be used as the last resort. Just remember the entire body can become a weapon. The techniques available are hand strikes, elbow strikes, kicking techniques, and striking with the knee.

This is by no means a complete list of self-defense tactics. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Do not develop a state of paranoia thinking about all this. These tactics are tools to help in the prevention of violence and crime. Live and Learn. Live Free and Live Strong.

by Fred Nichols

Edited by Admin.

Original article source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fred_P_Nichols