Safety at the parking lot

Dear fellow readers,

 

My sincere apologies for not making an entry this past week. Been busy traveling east, north and soon, south of Malaysia and with some of my staffs leaving the company, my attention has been stretched pretty thin these days. Nevertheless, hope you can bear with me as I put things in order and get back to writing more often.

 

By now, you might have heard of the robbery and attempted kidnapping/rape of Chin Xin-Ci who wrote about her ordeal recently at a well-known shopping mall and it went viral in Facebook, even worthy of mention in a major newspaper. If you’ve not, here’s the link to the story:

 

https://www.facebook.com/notes/chin-xin-ci/30-hours-ago-i-escaped-from-being-kidnapped/10150980821959859

 

Apparently, within 24 hours, another case of robbery occurred where 2 female clerks carrying a load of cash to be delivered to the bank got robbed by 2 male suspects. What on earth is the store manager thinking when he/she gave these 2 ladies RM80,000 cash without the escort of any male colleagues or security is anyone’s guess. Apparently, the robbers knew the layout of the entire mall and managed to plan an escape route that has little/no CCTV.

I would define these crimes as either premeditated (a person or persons determined to carry out the crime in a manner that is thought through) or opportunistic (a situation where an opportunity to successfully carry out the crime presents itself even when the suspect did not plan to do the crime). Regardless, one word stands out as the key factor in whether the potential victim could avoid the danger:

 

Vulnerability

 

The period in which you are helpless or compromised and susceptible to being attacked. And it is this point, I wish to highlight in this article. How do you minimize the state of vulnerability while being at a car park? I take this topic seriously because you may have noticed, I am a bit “kiasu” when it comes to safety. So I went online and compiled a list of useful (and sometimes taken for granted) tips on how to be safe as well as added a few of my own habits in mitigating vulnerability:

 

Before Parking

– If this is your first visit to the parking lot, take note of all lift, escalator, staircase and guard station locations. Plan out the closest route to and from these exit points
– Try to park in brightly lit area. I know if we’re in a mall at lunch hour, any parking space is God-sent but know the risks involved in where your car is going to be parked
– Take note of any strangers around you. Do they look like they’re waiting for you to alight? Do they appear to want to come near you once you switch off the engine?

 

After Parking

– Make sure your car windows are up and doors are locked
– Updating your Foursquare/Twitter/Facebook account can wait. Focus on the path; not on your phone and be fully alert and aware of your surroundings.
– Take note of the location where you parked … take a picture of the nearest pillar that has some information on the area where you parked. Avoid spending hours later walking around the car park looking for your car, increasing your vulnerability

 

When Collecting Your Car

– Make sure you don’t dangle your bag/purse on the side where traffic is
– Have your keys ready. If you’re driving a vehicle with keyless entry and Start/Stop, all the better.
– As you move towards your car, scan the area around the path you intend to take.
– From afar, your have excellent view of anyone who might be lingering/eyeing your car. Sometimes if my car is parked in a poorly lit area but the path towards it is clear and good, I’d take a round about route from afar to see if the other side of the car is empty.
– Get a security guard to escort you to your car if you feel uneasy.
– Get a security guard to escort or ferry you with the mall buggy if your car is far.
– Quit using your phone until you’re safely locked your car.
– Check the rear seats of your car when entering
– Lock the car first before rummaging through your bag for other stuffs.
– In case you notice you car is being followed, do not go home. Try to take note of the number plate of the car following you and head to the nearest police station.
– Be prepared to ditch em pretty heels if it helps for a quick get away!

 

If Sh*t Happens and there IS an intruder at the backseat and is threatening you with a weapon….

– Keep calm. You’re in no immediate danger.
– Tell the intruder you will cooperate and not cause any trouble
– Buckle your seatbelt and drive normally.
– The moment you see a straight road, floor it and ram something. Your seatbelt and airbag will save you. The intruder would probably suffer severe injuries. Even if the intruder survives, the commotion would definitely attract attention. The car can be fixed and the bill is finite …. your life, on the other hand is irreplaceable and invaluable.
– If you were like Ms Chin and being thrust to the back seat and have no control over the mobility of the car, then be smart like her and position yourself to a point where escape is possible.

 

At the end of the day, I cannot appeal enough for you to take whatever precautions possible in ensuring your safety wherever you may be. There has been numerous cases of murders and rapes and it doesn’t help that some major shopping malls, thinking of saving some electricity, switches some of the basement lights off and increasing the risk in their malls. I’ve been to the mall where the incident happened to Ms Chin and I can tell you, it gets creepy when you go to the lowest level. I hope this is a lesson to all malls to ensure that the safety of patrons remains paramount.

Don’t take security for granted …. I remember seeing a joke advert where if you have a loud sounding alarm in case of emergencies, no one bothers to look since most people are so used to car alarms being triggered for nothing. Instead, a company came up with an alarm system that sounded like …. coitus. When you hear a male or female screaming in a … discreet manner, you can be sure it’ll attract any living persons to stare at you.

Hmmmm, maybe I should set my phone alarm to have that …