GOOD SECURITY PRACTICES AT PARKING AREAS
1. KEEP
YOUR VEHICLE SECURED.
Your doors should be locked and windows closed to prevent someone reaching into your vehicle and opening the door from the inside.
2. KEEP
YOUR VEHICLE INSIGHT
If you stop for food or fuel or
to use a restroom, park your vehicle in a location where you can keep an eye on
it as long as possible during your stop.
3. KEEP
PURSES AND VALUABLES OUT OF VIEW
To prevent a “smash-and-grab”
theft of your valuables, put your purse, briefcase, computer, and other
belongings on the floor, under a seat, or at least hidden under a coat,
sweater, or newspaper. Don’t carry valuable articles exposed on the seats of
your vehicle.
4. NEVER
LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE UNLOCKED
Lock your vehicle any time you exit.
Make sure that you take your keys and look inside your vehicle when you return
to make sure no one has entered it while you were away.
5. PARKED
AWAY FROM VISUAL OBSTRUCTIONS
Trucks and vans provide visual
barriers for criminals to hide behind. Don’t parked next to such vehicle.
6. PARKED
NEAR FOOT TRAFFIC
Choose a parking spot where people are likely to pass while going to and from their vehicles. This gives a potential assailant less opportunity to catch you “alone” either while you are parking or when you return to your vehicle.
7. GET OUT AND GO
Once you get out from your vehicle, lock the doors; move immediately to the center of the driving lane towards your destination.
8. KEEP YOUR KEYS HANDY
Keep your vehicle key in your hand with the key to the door next to your index finger until you reach your destination. If you must return to your vehicle, you don’t want to be delayed by having to search for your keys.
9. UNLOAD PACKAGES
If you have a briefcase or other parcels you must carry into a building, unload them at the building entrance and secure them with an appropriate person before proceeding to park your vehicle. This way you won’t be loaded down with baggage or have to make multiple trips into the parking lot, both of which multiply your vulnerability.
10. CHOOSE A SECURE LOT
If you have a choice, park
in a lot that have some security measures. Security patrols, telephones, and/or
intercoms all discourage criminals. Just a simple fence can make it more
difficult for a criminal to escape from the scene of a crime.
11.
PARKED UNDER A LIGHT
Even if you arrived during
the day and plan to leave before dark, there is always a possibility that you
may be delayed. So, choose a spot under or near an overhead light to discourage
criminals.
12. GET NEAR BUILDING
ENTRANCE’S
Park as close as possible to a building entrance you will be using.
13. WAIT A FEW SECONDS
After you have parked, wait just a few seconds before turning off the engine. Look around the parking area for people loitering or behaving suspiciously, and listen for unusual noises. If you are comfortable, then turn off the engine.
14. AVOID USING
ENCLOSED STAIRWELLS
If you park in a multi-level parking garage, it may be safer to walk on the ramp rather than use an enclosed stairwell where you may be cornered.
WHILE DEPARTING
ALTHOUGH
YOU ARE CAREFUL IN SELECTING A PARKING SPOT, CONDITIONS IN A PARKING AREA ARE
ALWAYS CHANGING. THEREFORE YOU MUST ALSO PRACTICE CAUTION WHEN RETURNING TO YOUR
VEHICLE.
15. HAVE YOU KEYS READY
Have your key ready so that when you arrive at your vehicle, you will not be delayed in unlocking the door and entering.
16. SCAN THE PARKING AREA
As you enter the parking area, make a 360-degree scan. Look for other people in the parking area. In general, people should be either walking to or from their vehicles. Be suspicious of people walking perpendicular to the usual flow of pedestrian.
17. KEEP A CLEAR VIEW OF YOUR VEHICLE
Make sure you have a clear view of your vehicle well before you arrive at it. That means there are no visual barriers such as delivery vans parked nearby that could provide cover for an assailant and make it more difficult for you to summon help if needed.
18. DON’T TIP-OFF WHERE YOU ARE PARKED
Don’t give a criminal advance notice where you are parked. Don’t fix your gaze only on your vehicle as you proceed through the parking area. Concentration your attention on your vehicle alone will give a criminal opportunity to plan an assault because he will know your destination.
19. TAKE NOTE OF OCCUPIED VEHICLES
People generally do not sit in vehicles in parking lots. Vehicle occupants should either have just entered their vehicles preparing to depart or have just arrived in the parking area preparing g to exit their vehicles. People just sitting in their vehicles are unusual and potentially threatening.
20. RETURN TO SAFETY IF BEING FOLLOWED
If you believe you are being followed while in the parking area, immediately return to a safe place. Before you attempt to return to your vehicle again, enlist someone to escort you.
21. APPEAR ALERT AND IN-CHARGE
Walk with purpose as you move to your vehicle. You must appear alert and convey an air of confidence in case you are being watched.
22. STAY AWAY FROM OTHER VEHICLES
As you walked to your vehicle stay in the middle of the driving lane, away from parked vehicles where someone could be hiding.
23. LOOK INSIDE AND UNDER YOUR VEHICLE
As you unlock the doors,
look inside for others who could have entered your vehicle while you were away
and are hiding in the front or in the back. Also, glance underneath it to make
sure there is no one hiding there.
24. ENTER
QUICKLY
While you are unlocking
your door, putting packages inside, or removing your coat, you are vulnerable.
Minimize your vulnerability by entering your vehicle as quickly as possible.
25. SECURE YOUR VEHICLE AND DRIVE AWAY
As soon as you enter your vehicle, lock the doors and keep the windows closed. Since you are much more vulnerable while stopped than while moving, wait a few seconds until the vehicle is moving before lowering the windows.
26. DRAW ATTENTION IF ACCOSTED
If you are accosted, draw attention to yourself by blowing the horn, activating the emergency flashers, and flashing the headlights. Short blasts of your horn are more effective in getting attention as compared to a continuous sound that could be interpreted as a defective horn.