The Queensland Police Service (QPS) personal safety strategies suggests that a level of confidence is reflected in your body language. Therefore if you feel comfortable engaging in a particular activity, you will appear so.
“The same will occur if you don’t feel confident,” Senior Sergeant Poole said.“We encourage members of the public to only participate in the activities they feel comfortable engaging in.“If you don’t feel safe to walk or jog alone, consider going with a friend.”
The QPS also reminds those exercising along pathways to always remain wary about your surroundings.
“Be aware of what is happening around you by continuously surveying your surroundings. This will allow you to identify threats before they reach you, giving you the opportunity to remove yourself from the situation,” Senior Sergeant Poole said.
“The key here is to look relaxed and comfortable, rather than paranoid, thereby making you appear to be ‘streetwise’, and further decreasing the likelihood of being targeted as a potential victim.”
Some strategies you may wish to consider include:
if you continually use a particular route and this makes you feel uneasy, vary it;
be continuously aware of your surroundings while maintaining a ‘streetwise’ appearance;
ensure your body language portrays confidence, including the ability to make brief eye contact with passers-by;
use well-lit roads and paths where you are visible and where surrounding areas and other people are visible to you;
consider moving in the direction that faces the traffic so a car cannot pull up behind you unnoticed;
carry some form of identification and change for a public telephone, phone card, or a mobile phone;
be aware that wearing headphones while exercising will decrease your ability to stay alert to your surroundings.
Anyone with information which could assist police with their investigations should contact Crime Stoppers anonymously via 1800 333 000 or crimestoppers.com.au 24hrs a day. Crime Stoppers is a charitable community volunteer organisation working in partnership with the Queensland Police Service.For more information on Personal Safety Strategies visit the Queensland Police Service website at http://www.police.qld.gov.au/programs/personalSafety.
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