I have been fortunate (touch wood) to escape the clutches of violent criminals.
Call it luck, a blessing or defensive actions of my own.
READ: I feel so (dis)connected
Some are not that lucky.
Two incidents in the past few months have again reinforced the need for me to not let my guard down.
I was on holiday a few weeks ago, where 13 people were sleeping in one large house.
Three days into the vacation, a person(s) broke into the home.
The criminals cut his/her way through two burglar bars and bent them open, crept through an open window, and stole two cellphones, a laptop, an expensive camera and swim shorts.
Only one of my possessions was stolen: a soccer ball.
It is an absolute blessing than no one woke up in the home, as a bloodbath might have ensued.
Despite the meagre item I lost, it still irked me.
The second incident happened a few months ago while I was driving through Sunnyside, Pretoria.
I stopped at a red light and noticed two men approach from behind at a 45 degree angle.
I immediately reversed and now had the two suspects in front of me.
One of them approached me and was blabbering on about how he needs to tell me something.
Before he got too close, I sped into the left hand lane.
He eventually lost interest and turned around.
It was then that I saw a steel pipe (about 15cm in length) curled up the back of his arm.
Did I just dodge a smash and grab?
These two incidents, as small as they are, have evoked immense paranoia in me.
The latter case resulted in me almost causing an accident on Rondebult Road, recently.
I was in my vehicle on the bridge, when I noticed a man walk up to my car from behind.
Instinct crept in and jolted in my speeding into the way of another car in the lane to my left.
I was convinced the person would smash my window. I will never know if this was his intention.
These examples highlight the effects of crime, no matter how small.
These are the sad facts of crime, that affect most of us:
• It’s invasive
The incident on holiday resulted in a feeling of nakedness and vulnerability, which is not easy to shake.
• Creates paranoia
Perhaps we all need a wake up call every once in a while. People too easily become complacent. The amount of times I have spoken to police who have told me that people have been victim of property-related crime (largely due to their own negligence) is staggering. We cannot for a minute justify crime as a means of jolting us into protecting ourselves or belongings, but we all need to be aware of the dangers that face us.
• Inescapable
Part of the reason we were victimised on holiday was due complacency. We left the windows open. Why would we be a target of crime, we’re on holiday after all. This could not be further from the truth. You can never let your guard down or for a minute thinking you are in a “safe space”.
While you are more than entitled to a holiday, it appears criminals never sleep.
