Keep your wits about you to ward off crime

By Maria Kegel

JAKARTA (JP): If you look like a potential victim, carrying yourself like you are not paying attention to your surroundings, then chances are you will end up as one.

"Criminals make a visual assessment or detailed reconnaissance before they choose a target, so how you appear in terms of self- confidence and your awareness to your surroundings will affect their selection," said Craig Foster, president director of Hill and Associates in Jakarta, an Asian-based and focused risk management consultancy headquartered in Hong Kong.

"You can do a lot for yourself in terms of your posture, awareness -- meaning you are taking in your environment and visually assessing the situation as you go along -- and taking basic security precautions."

Foster noted that since a criminal's priority was to make a clean getaway, they looked for "soft targets" by visually assessing those who looked confident and those who did not -- and whose valuables were easy to take.

The same applies to vehicles and homes, he said, where everyday safety tips, such as locking vehicle doors, turning lights on at night and keeping windows closed, must be remembered.

It comes down to awareness and logistical planning, he said.

"You have to accept the reality that these things may happen in Jakarta and you have to be mentally prepared for that possibility."

Once you have accepted that and adopted a state of mental preparedness, he said the next step was to trust your instincts.

"If you review or look at a crime psychologically, they (victims) did not trust their instincts at critical times. Your instincts are highly tuned when you are under pressure," he said.

If women find themselves in an uncomfortable situation, the most important thing is to leave that area and do not antagonize the situation, he added.

"You should carry a communications device with you; that's important in Jakarta as the political situation here is fluid, and if it deteriorates you should be contactable," he said.

Demonstrations are a part of everyday life here and Jakartans must keep well-informed and be contactable, he advised.

"If you follow these basic steps and heighten your sense of awareness when you go to a public area, as you would do in the markets of Bangkok or San Francisco, then you can drastically reduce your vulnerability to crime."

Foster said it was not surprising there were more incidents affecting women worldwide since they were traveling more and representing a far greater segment of business travelers locally.

He added that levels of concern were on the rise and which, to some extent, reflected an increase in crime generally.

As part of his company's services, a security awareness briefing is provided for new families moving to Jakarta, and Foster said female security issues were raised normally at those forums.

"It's understandable that women's groups might consider self- defense courses, however, there are a number of daily preventative measures that would be potentially more valuable and are better advised," said the retired police superintendent who served in Hong Kong for 13 years.

However, he did not think there was a significant trend of crimes focusing on women and expatriates.

"Because of the weak economy and high unemployment, I think you have certainly seen an increase in crimes against expats in general, in terms of house break-ins, robberies, particularly at ATM machines, and credit card fraud, which are not specifically targeting expatriates, but reflecting a higher percentage of them carrying or using credit cards."

New arrivals

Foster said another factor could be that new arrivals to Jakarta found it difficult to orient themselves because of the differences in language and culture or in living in an environment that had minimal direct contact with locals.

"They then could find it difficult to read the signs and be aware of the risks, no more than one would be in any big unfamiliar city," he said.

Foster said if a person was in Chicago or New York, he or she would be concerned about personal safety, keeping valuables secure, thinking carefully about how to get from A to B and what taxi to get in -- and the same common sense should be applied when in Jakarta.

He said he did not think Jakarta posed a particular risk for expatriates, but that they were often not well-informed and therefore not well-prepared.

"Crime statistics are hard to evaluate, as crime is not generally reported. Much of what expats hear is anecdotal, on the rumor net, and that can obviously be twisted and misinterpreted," Foster pointed out.

He said it was advisable that corporations bringing expatriates here help them and their families adjust to the local situation.

Foster offered the following guidelines for people living in a city:

* Have quality information available to you that these things do happen.

* Have a cell phone or pager with you so that you are contactable in any situation.

* Be aware of your body language and the signals you are sending.

* Take basic common sense precautions as you will in any city.

* Be prepared mentally that it might happen to you.

* Have a mental plan of what might you say, do or where you would go if there was a problem.

* Certain places require that you are more alert, as in public areas like train and bus stations, and certain parts of the city, especially at night.

* Trust your instincts: If a situation does not feel right, it generally is not.

* Choose where you go with some care. If you are in a market area, dress down, secure your valuables well and do not invite crime.

* Avoid obvious trouble spots.

* Make good logistical preparation for whatever activity you are undertaking. Think carefully how you could get to a hospital if you were in a road accident for example.

* If you are driving, keep to the main roads.

* Park only in well-lit areas.

* When using taxis, use only reputable firms. Always lock doors and ensure the driver acts and drives in a safe manner.