Every New Year comes with making resolutions, changes you want to make in your life to solve a problem you’ve been dealing with. Whether that is for weight loss, procrastination or even self-defense! We’ve put together the top five New Year’s resolutions you can shoot for this year to improve your personal safety and deter criminal activity.

1. Take a Self-Defense Class

Ever heard the term “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? It is a LOT easier to stop a crime as opposed to dealing with the damage after the fact (trauma, loss, etc.). The first step towards being prepared for the New Year is to take a self-defense class in order to get some crime prevention measures under your belt. Gaining knowledge and putting together a game plan in case of attack gives you a far higher chance of survival as opposed to being completely helpless.

We HIGHLY recommend taking a class on pepper spray, stun guns & TASERs or a general introductory course on non-lethal self-defense options to help prepare you.

We offer the following classes online (currently), which you get FREE with the purchase of a product:

Pepper Spray 101: Protecting Yourself at a Distance

Electroshock Weapons: Stun Guns & TASERs

Introduction to Non-Lethal Self-Defense

2. Buy a Self-Defense Product

Once you’ve taken a class and know what device works best for you, it’s time to pick your choice of self-defense product*. Regardless of what you take, make sure that you master it fully: know how it works, how to deploy it, laws and regulations regarding its use, practical vs. theoretical applications and so on. It is highly recommended to have a back-up product or plan in case your device does not work as expected.

*We personally recommend pepper spray due to its immediate effects, take-down power and ability to keep distance from an assailant.

3. Practice Situational Awareness

What is more crucial than any device or weapon is Situational Awareness or being aware of your surroundings. That means paying attention to who is around you, what is around you, your location, potential threats/risks, etc. Great examples of poor awareness are:

• College students that have their faces buried in their phones.
• Joggers that block out their environment with ear buds.
• Women that immediately put their heads down when walking past others in order to avoid eye contact.

The other important piece of situational awareness is complacency. Complacency KILLS! Simply put, it is when people get comfortable with their surroundings and are oblivious to potential threats. Great mindset examples of this are:

• “It can’t happen to me”
• “I live in a safe area, so I’ll be okay.”
• “I have training, a gun, pepper spray, etc…so I don’t need to worry.”

We CHALLENGE you to be more aware and less complacent!

4. Keep Your Property Secure

Many crime prevention strategies come down to common sense. This holds true even with property crimes. Keeping the windows to your vehicle locked and removing all valuables out of plain view (or at least getting a tinted window) is one way to reduce auto thefts. When it comes to protecting the home, there are many simple things you can do. Here are a few effective strategies:

• Cut down shrubbery below eye level as well as exterior walls (crimes can hide in bushes and behind large fences).
• Ensure that ALL entry points going into your home are secure (criminals always check).
• Install an alarm system or have a loud dog to help with deterrence (noise, when paired with difficult entry, helps scare of intruders).

Being that property crimes are generally “crimes of opportunity”, it’s best to block or deter a criminal from even attempting to burglarize your home. Every extra barrier to entry you can put in place encourages criminals to give up and try the next property.

5. Avoid High-Risk Situations

Sometimes crime is out of your control, but there are circumstances that can be minimized or avoided altogether based on proper action:

• Watching your alcohol intake and having reliable friends to watch over you when at parties or the bar.
• Not wearing revealing clothes around unsavory characters or those which limit your ability to run away.
• Avoiding walking down the street at night in isolated areas, alone.

Every individual has the freedom to move around, drink or wear what they please, but remember that every action has consequences. Crimes of opportunity can be minimized or capitalized on depending on what actions you take. Avoid high-risk situations as much as possible.

Rise to Meet All Resolutions!

Ideally it’s best to try to meet all of these resolutions, but make it a goal to achieve at least one or two. We especially recommend taking a class on what topics might help you the most. Always practice basic crime prevention to avoid dangerous situations and you will have a safer life, in general.