Personal safety – part four

By Constable Rey Olazo

Mga kababayan kumusta na kayo? Nakalipas na naman ang isang matagumpay na local election dito sa ating city at sana ang mga bagong halal at ang mga muling inihalal ay magdaop palad regardless of their political colours upang lalo pang mapaganda ang serbisyo publiko para sa ating mga naninirahan sa Winnipeg.

Kung minsan nakakaingit ang ganitong election atmosphere; professional ang pangangampanya, walang batuhan ng mabantot na putik, walang namamatay at nadidisgrasya. The election process is clean, efficient and has fast results. Maging ang mga magkakalabang kandidato ay mayroon kakayahang magparaya at tumangap ng result maging matamis o mapait man ito. Sana mangyari din ito sa lupang ating sinilangan.

Sa ating nakaraang edition ng Pulis Kababayan ay tinalakay natin ang mga bagay on how to be safe when we travel via public and private means of transportation. The principle of how to be safe is simple and straight forward kung kaya’t hindi ito dapat magdulot ng kalituhan. In this concluding part of our four-part series I will be giving pointers on how to be safe within the confines or immediate vicinity of our residences.

When I did my Vital Installation Security Training with the US State Department, our Instructor told us that in designing a stronghold security plan we should always put in our mind the principle of “Your installation should be your castle.” Ito ay umiikot sa aral na kung saan ang ating bahay (which is a form of installation) ay dapat maging kasing safe, secure and defensible katulad ng isang sinaunang kastilyo. Marami sa inyo ang magsasabi na paano mangyayari yun dito sa Winnipeg gayung maraming building restrictions and the building materials are mostly made of lumber or composite plaster or materials; hindi katulad sa Pilipinas na ang mga bahay ay gawa sa hollow blocks na pinatibay ng bakal at buhos na semento. Well, dito sa ating siyudad ay bibihira and insidente na tinuklap and pader o binutas ang bubong upang makapasok sa bahay para makapagnakaw.

Sa aking karanasan ay halos lahat ng pagnanakaw sa bahay o commercial establishment ay yung tinatawag na break and enter o “salisi” na kung saan ay malimit by chance at attributable sa kapabayaan ng mga naninirahan sa bahay or apartment building.

Here are some pointers on how to make your home your castle:

• Be familiar with the security features of your house or apartment building
• Secure your keys, entry card and garage remote control
• Don’t leave your keys under your door mat or behind your planters
• Don’t leave your remote control inside your vehicle, if the bad guys break into your car they have an invitation to enter your home
• Don’t allow your next door neighbour or mere acquaintances to borrow your access/entry card, and
• For those who reside in an apartment building, make sure to wait for the entrance door to lock before entering the inner access door to prevent unwanted people from gaining entry in your building
  
  
• Be observant of your surroundings before entering and leaving your home. Magandang maging na sumilip muna tayo sa ating peep hole bago lumabas at luminga muna sa mga taong naghahanap lamang ng tiyempo. This will prevent those people who are waiting for an opportunity to slide in or to catch you flat footed.
  
  
• Remember that an unlocked house is an open invitation to burglars
  
  
• Lock doors and windows
• Time and motion activated lights. Ang ilaw ay isang deterrent sa mga masasamang loob because they can’t hide their identity and activities from your eyes or from your observant neighbours
• Security cameras – make sure cameras are recording kasi kung sakali na magkaroon ng insidente ng pagnanakaw ay madaling madownload ng police and mga pangyayari na magdudulot sa positive identification ng mga bad guys.

If possible have a monitored alarm system, katulad nga po ng mga nauna kong edition ay nasabi ko na mabilis lamang ang response time ng inyong kapulisan (three to five minutes) sa mga insidente ng in-progress break and enter na kung saan ito ay natrigger ng security device feature ng isang bahay (panic/motion detector/unwanted person).

Itong mga pointers na ito ay hindi foolproof o 100 per cent guaranteed, but for sure they will keep you a few steps ahead of the criminals. Sabi nga ng aking intsructor sa close quarter battle, in order for us to survive the hazard of life’s battle we should improvise, adapt and overcome. Maaaring sabihin ninyo na ito ay cinematic ngunit sa realidad ito. Kailangan vigilant tayo at flexible sa mga pagbabago upang hindi tayo mapattern o mapag-aralan ang kilos at mga security counter measures.

Sa susunod ay pag-uusapan naman natin ang tungkol sa firearms and weapons laws at kung paano natin maiiwasan ang mga kaso na related dito. Hangang sa muli mga kababayan, pagpalain nawa tayo ng Diyos.

Constable Rey Olazo is a member of the Central Traffic Unit of the Winnipeg Police Service. He can be contacted by e-mail at rolazo@winnipeg.ca. For urgent matters that require Police response call 911. For non-emergencies, call (204) 986-6222.