Safeguarding – Emphasis on ‘Before’ and not ‘After’

Self-defence, combatives, self-protection, personal protection, personal safety, reality-based

self-defence, personal security...and the list of nouns goes on. Why do we need so many
terms? Are they all the same or are they implicitly different? I would suspect that they all
share the same end result...that the selected target gets away safely and with minimal injury.
The workplace, on the other hand, shares the same confusing vernacular – conflict resolution,
conflict management, crisis intervention, crisis prevention, risk management, violence
prevention...et cetera. The desired outcome in this particular arena isn’t really that different
than its street-based cousin. So let’s look at intervention training. Would it be proper to take a
conflict resolution course if one were interested in learning how to deal with a drunken thug in
a pub? Conversely, would it make sense for someone to take a combatives course if one were
interested in how to manage ‘acting-out’ behaviours from a client in his or her care? Not likely.

Irrespective of where a threat presents itself, we need to be able to identify it and respond
accordingly. The concept of ‘safeguarding’ is really about articulating the main purpose of self-
preservation in any environment...the implementing of a precautionary measure to detect,
deter, prevent, and respond to a threat. The correct precautionary measure will be determined
by the risk assessment performed by each individual.

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if all emergency vehicles didn’t have to sound their sirens
when racing down a residential thoroughfare? Shouldn’t their flashing lights be good enough?
In order to detect a threat, we need to be in a state where sensation and perception are
working together with cognition. In other words, we need to allow ourselves to notice that
there is something going on and that our immediate attention is required. This phenomenon is
called ‘awareness’. Awareness is our distant early warning system that detects hazards and
allows for management software to assess and provide decision support. A breach at this level
can cause complete system failure. Keep it switched on!

In the grasslands where the eagles hunt, would you rather be a rodent or a wolf? As important
as it is to detect a threat, we want to be able to deter physical aggression. We do this by
making ourselves a ‘hard target’. How you perceive yourself, can be projected for all to
see...especially in times of stress. If you see yourself as weak and scared, others will see it too.
This can be demonstrated in how you walk, how you talk, how you carry yourself, and how you
dress. Walk briskly and with purpose, talk with assertiveness when approached unsolicitedly,
carry yourself with confidence and pride, and dress to fit in rather than to stand out.

Ever wonder why, when an electrical storm is in full force, that everyone immediately runs for
cover? The best way to prevent bad things from happening, is to not be where bad things
happen. When we talk about prevention, we are really talking about avoiding situations that
have the potential for physical aggression or violence. Imagine that you and your child are on
public transit, and a few loudmouths get on and create a disturbance. Do you ride it out and
keep your eyes down hoping they won’t see you or do you establish eye contact and try to be
the bigger bully. Neither. The correct answer is: you get off at the next stop. Sure it may be a
bit of an inconvenience, but if you want to prevent escalation, you need to get rid of the
stressor or move away from it. Sometimes it’s just better to walk away.

Consider a lighthouse - a massive structure that emits beams of light to safeguard ships against
dangerous coastlines and to mark safe entries into harbour. Could you imagine putting your
faith in someone on deck, hoping he will notice the rocky impediment before the ship makes
impact? The purpose of a safeguard is to give you an opportunity to respond to a threat,
allowing for you to access the file in your brain that contains the right information on how to
handle it. What you know and what you can put into action, will play a big part in the success
of your efforts. A reaction, on the other hand, will always occur out of panic, and with that
follows fight, flight, freeze, or fold (submission). Place your bets!

Conor MacPhee, CCI (2009)