When criminals are about to launch an attack, they don’t do it from afar, they hover about their potential prey so as to know their weak point and from there, they strike. This calls for the need to be vigilant. Ideally, people who are not close to us should maintain a social distance in any discourse context but when it goes beyond this without any reasonable explanation, it means something is fishy. Entering somebody’s personal space is normally an indication of familiarity and sometimes intimacy. However, in modern society, especially in crowded urban communities, it can be difficult to maintain personal space, for example when in a crowded train, elevator or street. Many people find such physical proximity to be psychologically disturbing and uncomfortable, though it is accepted as a fact of modern life. In an impersonal, crowded situation, eye contact tends to be avoided. Even in a crowded place, preserving personal space is important, and intimate and sexual contact, such as frotteurism and groping, is unacceptable physical contact (Hall, 1966). However, criminals defer all these inconveniences and get closer to their target. In a crowded environment, they hide under the pretense of crowd and if you are not careful, your valuables will disappear without you ever noticing. Once they steal from you, they quickly move away and mix with the crowd. In such a situation, it becomes inexplicably difficult to fish them out.
Also, when a person is seated next to a car window or in a public transport, they become the easiest target of criminals in the traffic. While the window is open, criminals are planning very hard on how to do away your phone or bag. If you care less on how close people move to your car, you might cry foul sooner than later. Another means criminals use in invading space is through distraction. If you intentionally distract yourself by making use of earphones at the wrong place, you’ve made their job easier than imagined. Criminals like distracted people because you won’t see them coming. And someone listening to music will most often realize that something is going down a little too late. Be aware. Look around and be purposeful. That could deter a thief (Wasonga, 2018).
Some of them are good at gimmicks. There is hardly anywhere a crime is being perpetrated by a single person; they arrange themselves in a circles and then, coordinate the attack in a way you won’t be suspicious of their antics. In order to break into your personal space, one of them will shuffle in front of your car as if they are sick, and if you make as if to help, or open your window to help, you are toast. Or one could point out that you have a puncture, or your car has some fault of some sort. But you are being set up for a handbag, phone or laptop snatch. The trick is to always stay mentally alert. Criminals take cognizance of the space of shop keepers too. And if they are not vigilant, they become their easy prey. The potential criminals cut their teeth with their premises. The modus operandi for stealing items from shops is asking for an item that is in a place that will force the shopkeeper to turn his back on the criminal. Of course, shoplifters pull this trick after doing their research. Shop keepers should not keep valuable items or cash registers within easy reach of buyers. This is why most refreshments’ refrigerators are under lock and key (Wasonga, 2018).
Sometimes, criminals invade your personal space through your children. When criminals discover that getting close to you will be problematic, then they focus on your kids, this is most common among the children of the rich who are usually unsuspecting of criminal activities. Some children of the rich folk, for whatever reason, run away from home and seek refuge in the slums. Or they may have gotten into drug use and are looking for camaraderie and kindred spirits in the ghetto. These kids are lured in by gangs and made to steal check and take pictures of their parent’s signature. Sometimes such kids also plan for their houses to be burglarized. Having a good relationship with your teenage children goes a long way in identifying criminal behavior. If you are driving home and notice that you are being tailed by a motorcycle, drive past your house, make unexpected turns and note if they are still on your tail. If they are, drive to the nearest police station because the gate of one’s house is a trap that has led to many murders and violent robberies (Wasonga, 2018). So, invasion of your personal space can be in a subtle manner. The key is to stay at alert and pay attention to unusual moves.
Before you can challenge anyone of invading your privacy, you must show that you had a reasonable expectation of privacy. Read through this example as given by Legal Dictionary thus: “Rob and Marla rent a duplex. They have lived there a month when they learn that their landlord had installed video cameras in their bedroom to video tape their activities. The couple has a reasonable expectation of privacy within their own home, and so the landlord, even though he owns the property, has invaded Rob and Marla’s privacy. Not only do Rob and Marla have the right to sue the landlord in civil court, but he may be subject to criminal charges.” Intrusion of solitude occurs when an individual intrudes upon another person’s private affairs in a physical manner. An example of intrusion of solitude is intercepting phone calls or peeping on another person. This is a common form criminals fail to respect your space (Legal Dictionary, 2018).
References
Hall, E. T. (1966). The Hidden Dimension. Anchor Books. ISBN 0-385-08476-5.
Legal Dictionary (2018).Invasion of Privacy. Retrieved from https://legaldictionary.net/invasion-of-privacy/
Wasonga, J (2018). Revealed: 24 Ways You Are Making Yourself A Robber’s Walking Target. Retrieved from https://www.sde.co.ke/article/2001274401/revealed-24-ways-you-are-making-yourself-a-robber-s-walking-target
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