Awareness

The most important thing about staying safe is being aware of your surroundings. You must be aware of all those around you and the geography of the area.

When watching other people, do not be deceived by their static appearance. The media has given us all stereotyped images of what the baddies look like. Bikers, people with tattoos or piercings, multi-colored hair etc. are all portrayed as the baddies. People in suits, good looking, clean shaven etc. are portrayed as the goodies. OK, so you are unlikely to get mugged by someone in an Armani suit but you can't judge whether or not someone is a criminal by appearance alone.

You must watch and listen to the way that people are behaving.

Is someone looking at you more than is normal. Don't be too paranoid, if they happen to be facing you they will anyway. If you're reading a paper, they might be reading the back page.

If two people are talking to each other but spending most of their time looking at others they could be discussing who to target.

If you are in a shop and you notice that someone is looking at other people or gazing around at nothing in particular they may be a shoplifter or they may be about to commit a robbery. They will be looking around to see where the security cameras are and trying to assess whether other people might interfere with their crime.

Notice if those around you appear to be on drugs. Notice how people react to others. If someone gets unnecessarily angry when they are accidentally pushed by someone they are someone who should be avoided. If someone is behaving in a threatening manner towards someone else it would be wise to keep your distance from them. If a man is taking an inappropriate interest in other women you need to avoid him.

You should be constantly observing those around you. Learn what is normal and what is not. Watch how men behave to women and how their behavior changes when they are attracted to a woman. Notice the difference in attitude between those men who will accept a turn down and those who won't - learn to recognize which approaches are going to be a problem. Watch people arguing and learn what type of behavior calms down the situation and what inflames the situation. Watch what happens in the few seconds before the argument becomes a physical fight - learn the warning signs so that you can predict an attack. Notice the different attitude and body language of people who are aggressive to those who aren't.