Sir:
Having read Part 1 of an expatriate’s explanation of his travel safety preps – and being an avid motorcyclist in South America, I have a couple of cents to add:
Batons are worthless, I’m 6’1″ and pretty strong. After having worked as a cop, I can attest that baton strikes are of little utility in a serious fight, holding onto a baton in a fight is a serious mistake, you tend to concentrate on the weapon that does very little actual damage and get swarmed under. I’ve had to abandon my baton most of the time in a real fight, simply because to retain it I would have been unable to grapple or draw my pistol. Given the serious nature of a physical threat south of the border of the USA, and the typical three or more attacker scenario – a baton will just get you killed. Sure they’re cute and cuddly and all, but I have never seen one end a fight outside of some of the heavier “non issue” batons. Unless you’re very good at modern arnis or escrima, a baton is a poor weapon choice – especially the collapsible ones. I make sure I have two things when riding down there:
1. Steel-toed boots. You can wear them on any airplane, and they give you a definite weapon when attached to a long leg. What an armored kick to the shin or upper foot of a bad guy will do, I have witnessed many times in close quarter combat. Any other kind of shoe is vulnerable on top and if you have a steel shank as well, you can crush the bitty little bones in their foot with a good stomp.
2. Screwdrivers. The nice slender [6mm diameter] kind with a Phillips head screwdriver
I’ve been in a lot of scraps with a lot of people. I have learned what works for me, and what seems to work in general, and have gleaned the following:
1. Drunk people don’t feel pain.
2. Pepper spray is a nice flavoring to add to a general melee – but a bad choice for individual combat with one caveat: the “Hide it in the hand, jam it in the mouth, and set it off” school. Don’t warn the guy, don’t wave things around, just jam it in and squeeze. Pepper spray is not an instant incapacitant, unless you get it in the upper-respiratory tract (uncontrollable retching coughs). If the bad guy closes his mouth, you lose your effectiveness. Although trained to aim for the upper chest and face – I always aim for the mouth when it’s open. That drops them immediately. Pepper spray to the eyes/nose area will cause discomfort (no matter how many Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) it’s rated at), prisoners in jails get pepper sprayed pretty frequently (area contamination) and many criminals train with pepper spray to be able to fight while getting sprayed.
3. If it’s a fight for your life, then then there are few targets that will save you quickly enough The throat always gets exposed. I’ve dropped a few guys with a throat hit, intentional, it’s a killing blow. Scrunch up cover your head with your hands and try to wait for the throat opening, then punch it like you were using your thumb to press an elevator button (only hit it, don’t press on it). You’re aiming for the windpipe.
4. Punch, bite, poke, stomp – then GET OUT OF DODGE. Don’t stick around for authorities, you’re the “gringo” you’re always considered wrong – without exception there are no reasons to stick around for authorities after you’ve had to defend your life.
5. There is no such thing as an attack that is only meant to relieve you of your property. All physical attacks are attacks on your life. Period.
6. If you’re in a big crowd and you see things breaking out, get out of the crowd by whatever means necessary – and don’t look back.
7. If you’re alone, the surest way to figure out if someone is after you – is to run. Plan a short sprint while you get your weapon into your hands. Anybody running after you is an attacker. (See Rule #5)
8. Never, ever drink anything with a stranger – anything and any stranger.
9. Commercial wasp spray is a far better chemical alternative to pepper spray. And they make small cans of carburetor cleaner (BrakeKleen is what I carry) that are about the size of a large canister
of pepper spray – and they blast chemicals out in a huge fog. Any of these two are much more easily explained and replaced in a foreign country.[JWR Adds: I must emphatically warn readers DO NOT use any such chemicals for self defense in the US or in any other First World Country, or you most likely will end up losing most of what you own in a six figure or seven figure civil lawsuit!] Carrying pepper spray and a baton say you’re ready for a fight, carrying a screwdriver and can of carburetor cleaner [on your motorcycle] say you’re ready to fix something – only you know you’re ready for a fight.
10. In the event of any altercation, get over any international border pronto – cut your vacation short – leave! This is easier said than done in most South American countries, as the back and forth for permits to cross a border can take hours. You should always carry government official “lubricant” in sufficient quantities to “speed” your application for a visa. Laws south of the US border are pretty much the same – but law enforcement south of the border is almost universally corrupt. If you know you’re going to get arrested, give all your resources to someone else, quickly – and make sure they clear the area until the time comes to collect you from the authorities. The first thing you’ll lose any bribe money to the searching hands of the official police. Your friend will need the money to arrange for a lawyer to plead for your release, or to pay a fine. I never, ever hand over my official passport except at border checkpoints – I always use a photocopy. The surest way or a foreign authority to keep you in the country is to keep your passport.
Oh, and it was pointed out to me by a buddy that works foreign security details for the US Department of State that Jenna Bush was the protectee – her possessions are unimportant, and can serve as a distraction meant to mask an attack on your principal. The Secret Service detail that was with her when her purse was stolen, probably saw who took it – and immediately took steps to safeguard her life (even if she didn’t know it). The property is irrelevant and was most likely intentionally allowed to be stolen once the act was seen in progress. They have one job, to insure their principal emerges alive. This does not always include their handbags and shoes. Regards, – LDM
Dear Jim,
I hope you are well. I’m praying daily for you and your family in your mourning. With regard to CapnRick’s excellent travel security article, I have two points, the first is probably peculiar to England, the second point applies to most of Europe including Britain.
1. We have two types of taxis. One is a Hackney Carriage (also known as a black cab, although they’re not all black!), which carries a lit ‘For Hire’ sign and may be hailed from the side of the road or picked up from a taxi-rank at a town centre, port, station or airport, and the other is a Private Hire (mini-cab) which must be booked from a despatching office. Never, ever get into a mini-cab unless you have booked it and it is the same company you booked with. You can tell which is which from the licence attached to the vehicle (usually at the back). Check that the vehicle registration number is identical to that on the taxi licence.
2. A relatively new phenomenon is areas which have become controlled by fundamental Muslims. [and I hate reporting on this because it sounds racist, but I don’t have a racist bone in my body]. People of all ages and gender have been attacked and beaten (and in the case of women, raped) simply for being white, afro-Caribbean, Hindu or Sikh. Whites and Sikhs are particular targets. Examples: in Manningham, Bradford, white people (even the few that live there) have been regularly beaten, usually by stone throwing, but stabbings are also reported, and are racially abused. In Alum Rock, Birmingham, two US Christian missionaries were escorted by police from the area for their own safety because ‘it’s a Muslim area’. and evangelising is ‘hate speech’. In such areas, non-Muslim women are considered to be ‘uncovered meat’ and are targets for rape. Remember, to a devout Muslim, even the sight of an woman’s ankle or wrist is considered shocking and to some men means you are ‘asking for it’. If you are in an area that is heavily populated by Muslims (you can tell by the Islamic dress), and a group of youths become interested in you, then beware. If all the women disappear and melt into the background, you are about to be attacked. There are other areas throughout Europe where this happens, but I have only reported the incidents and experiences I personally know about. Recently this summer there have been riots involving nationalists and Muslims (although sometimes just Muslims), and there is a danger in getting caught up in such. Hotspots for riots are Birmingham, Luton and Harrow. Discussing your faith (or even lack of it) with a Muslim can be fraught, some of them will report you for ‘hate speech’. See this article: Christian hotel owners face ruin after ‘defending their faith’ in row with a Muslim guest – this is not an isolated incident.
Jim, I hate singling out a group like this, but reality is reality. Although none of these crimes (with the exception of the ‘hate speech’ two) are exclusively Islamic, the reality is that these crimes are many, many times more prevalent in areas with a large Muslim population. However, I understand completely if you don’t publish paragraph 2 – you may have readers who are reasonable Muslims and would take offence. The situation in this country has reached crisis point, and if it wasn’t for the fact that my husband has been diagnosed with a third serious, life-threatening illness, we’d be looking to leave. For now, we are trusting in God’s mercies. We do live in an area which is untouched by the above concerns, but I have friends and family who, unfortunately, live in the thick of it. I never thought, as little as five years ago, that Islam would be such a concern – in fact, I welcomed such immigration because I hoped it would mean that our church missionaries would be able to evangelise here, at home with the full backing of British Law, instead of the cloak and dagger missionary work that went on in Egypt and other Islamic countries. This has proved to not be the case. Missionaries are still in grave danger.
I understand from my Stateside nephews and nieces that Dearborn, Michigan is starting to experience some of these concerns. (My nephews and nieces are misguided Mormons, the lot of ’em, but I pray for them to see the truth! I have to do it in bulk, though as there’s so many of them – and they have around six kids each 🙂 )
Thank you for all the work you do, it’s really appreciated. Keep safe, keep well. Blessings, – Jean in England
James,
Contrary to what was mentioned in the recent article on your blog, there is a place in the world where pepper spray is illegal. In the UK pepper spray (and similar items) is classified as a “Prohibited Weapon” and possession can get you five years in jail. I believe this is the only country in Europe where there that’s true but I’m not certain. – Johnny in England