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Safety advice for lone women drivers

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Maisie

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My sister sent me this in an email. I don''t post it to scare anyone, rather to make sure all my PS friends remain safe.
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An important message from the Police - please pass this along to all the women you know.....

This actually happened a few weeks ago on the M3 FLEET SERVICES!!!

It was early evening and a young girl stopped to get petrol.
She filled her tank and walked into the store to pay for her petrol. The cashier told her ''Don''t pay for your petrol yet.....walk around the store for a while and act as if you''re picking up some other things to buy. A man just got into the back of your car. I''ve called the police and they''re on their way''. When the police arrived, they found the man in the back seat of the girl''s car and asked him what he was doing. He replied, he was joining a gang and the initiation to join is to kidnap a woman and bring her back to the gang to be raped by every member of the gang. If the woman was still alive by the time they finish with her then they let her go.
According to the police that night, there is a new gang forming here originating from London. The scary part of this is because the guy didn''t have a weapon on him. The police could only charge him with trespassing.... He''s back on the street and free to try again.

Please be aware of what''s going on around you and for your family and friends. LADIES you or one of your family and friends could be the next victim.

Please forward this on to everyone you know. Please do not discard this message it is very important that everyone knows what is happening.

Please be careful when leaving your vehicle and make sure it is ALWAYS locked to prevent this from happening to you.

MET POLICE
Subject: POLICE INFORMATION - NOT A JOKE - ACTUAL SAFETY ADVICE

First bit is mainly for women, but boys please read it and send it on to any women you care about. The second bit is a warning to all of us!

Some sound advice for us all as we all sometimes forget to take our common
sense with us when we go out. This is from Northants Police....

Women.... In light of the recent kidnapping and now murder of Leigh Mathews, I think it is important to read the following info for your own safety.

Things women should know to stay safe: Please Take the time to
read these pointers. There may just be one or two you hadn''t thought of.

After reading this, forward it to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
2. If a robber asks for your handbag, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you.... he is probably more interested in your handbag than you and he will go for the handbag. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the boot of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm through the hole and start waving. The driver won''t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4.Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their cheque book, or making a list). DON''T DO THIS! A predator could be watching you, and this is the
perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, and attack you. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a car park:

A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and check the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most attackers surprise their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver''s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the shop, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.(And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the lift instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot.

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her ''Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would
crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby''s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear babies'' cries outside their doors when they''re home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby. I''d like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life.

A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it''s better safe than sorry.

ALL CAR OWNERS AND CAR DRIVERS PLEASE READ Warning!!!!
Be aware of new car-jacking scheme.

You walk across the car park, unlock your car and get inside. Then you lock all your doors, start the engine and shift or put into reverse.

You look into the rear-view mirror to back out of your parking space and you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window.

So, you shift the gear stick back into park or neutral, unlock your doors and jump out of your car to remove that paper or whatever it is that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car that is when the car-jackers appear
out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off!! Your engine was running, you would have left your purse in the car and they practically mow you down as they speed off in your car. BE AWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED IN LONDON/MANCHESTER MAKING ITS WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY!!!!!!!!

Just drive away and remove the paper later! It is stuck to your window and be thankful that you read this email.


I hope you will forward this to friends and family especially to women! A purse contains all identification, and you certainly do
NOT want someone getting your home address. They already HAVE your keys!!!

*I hope that Ali doesn''t mind me posting this. If it needs to be removed I understand.*
 
Thank you Maisie for this post and tips we can all use to stay safe. I for one will be reading this carefully and acting upon the advice offered.
 
Just in case anyone ends up terrified of rapists hiding in the back seats of their cars, or serial killers hiding on the doorstep playing tapes of crying babies, the main elements of these emails are hoaxes. I've gotten that email in numerous variations multiple times. There are many websites that chronicle the evolution of these urban myths - this one specifically deals with the gang initiation rape element of this email, and here is a chronicle of the crying baby tape myth and how it evolved.

And rest assured, anyone who admits to sitting in the back seat of a woman's car with the intention to rape her will be charged with attempted rape. Possession of a weapon is not a constituent part of the crime of rape, or attempted rape. An accused not having a weapon would not prevent the charge being levelled.

I always get upset by these emails. Why can't they be sent out with just the safety information in them? Why do they have to scaremonger like this?
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This whole stranger rapist thing is such a damaging myth to perpetuate. The reality of rape is that the vast majority of rapes are not committed by strangers (just going on memory, I believe the stranger rape percentage in Ireland is something like only 20% of rapes). The perpetuation of the stranger rape myth has appalling consequences for the victims of rape, who often are not taken seriously by the police and by juries because the crime doesn't fit the stereotype of what a rape 'is' (night, 'innocent' woman, stranger, violence, woman resists etc)
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Sorry for the rant, it's just that the whole topic of sexual assault and the myths around it (and the horrible consequences those myths have) is a huge big flashing red button to me!

Rant aside about the myths perpetuated in here, I do think there is a lot of valuable advice in here about personal safety and I personally follow quite a few of those guidelines myself. And I did learn some new things from this. You were right to pass on the info Maisie, and thank you for doing so!
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ETA - ha ha IrishBreakfast we used the same site! Maisie, thanks again for looking out for us all! It's always good to be reminded to look out for our personal safety
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No the one you posted - it''s just a rerun of all the stories that snopes has looked into over the years. It''s quite common for these things to get reinvented and sent out via email. I always check with snopes when I get emails - they are so on the ball! Now, I will happily eat my words if it appeared as really happening in the paper! Still, it doesn''t hurt to be reminded to check your car before you get into it. Can you imagine driving along and having some guy pop up in your rear view mirror?
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You know what though, if that did happen, I''d crash the freakin'' car. I''m sure I''d be wearing a seatbelt when he wasn''t. Hey buddy, say hello to my windshield!
 
Maisie I got the first email about the gang a few weeks ago but it happened in Melbourne and it was Victoria police station. I always check my backseat just in case before I get into the car anyway better safe then sorry.

However the safety tips are really good I heard quite a few of them on Oprah a while back, always good to keep in the back of your mind.
 
I posted that stuff with the most genuine of intentions. I never meant to scare monger anyone and I apologise if I did.

I had no idea that it was a hoax.
 
Date: 6/4/2008 8:42:49 AM
Author: Maisie
I posted that stuff with the most genuine of intentions. I never meant to scare monger anyone and I apologise if I did.

I had no idea that it was a hoax.
Maisie, please don''t worry! I certainly found the suggestions offered in your post very helpful and I will use them, you never know they could save a life, so thank you!!
 
Date: 6/4/2008 8:42:49 AM
Author: Maisie
I posted that stuff with the most genuine of intentions. I never meant to scare monger anyone and I apologise if I did.


I had no idea that it was a hoax.


Maise I know your intentions were genuine and I really appreciate the tips it is always good to know and to remind people to be aware of our surroundings. Also some people may not be aware of these things and others may just need to reminded :).
 
Oh no - don''t worry Maisie! I know you didn''t know! And there is certainly food for thought in those tips. I''m glad you posted it.
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Date: 6/4/2008 8:42:49 AM
Author: Maisie
I posted that stuff with the most genuine of intentions. I never meant to scare monger anyone and I apologise if I did.


I had no idea that it was a hoax.

No worries Maisie! Everyone knows you were just trying to help! That''s why these things get circled all the time. If you ever get another one like this you can always check out Snopes which will usually tell you if it''s real or not.
 
I know around here at gas stations a lot of women are getting their purses snatched out of the vehicle while they are pumping gas. Either carry your purse on you &/or lock your doors if you leave it in the car
 
Date: 6/4/2008 11:32:57 AM
Author: VegasAngel
I know around here at gas stations a lot of women are getting their purses snatched out of the vehicle while they are pumping gas. Either carry your purse on you &/or lock your doors if you leave it in the car
That and people who leave the keys in the car and it unlocked while they run into pay for gas and someone jumps in and takes the car.
Take the keys with you and lock the door!
The safety advice is a good for everyone.
I am paranoid about locking my doors at all times.
That comes from having $10k worth of car stereo equipment in my car back in my younger days.
 
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