Hey guys! Welcome to this week’s Word From Brett.

As I said in the video above, there’s been something playing on my mind for the last few weeks.

Life is precious, but it can also be short, and can be taken away in a split second. Recently, two children were shot dead in Sydney. A young girl survived an abduction and rape in Newcastle several weeks back.

In 2003, 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe went missing. His remains weren’t found until 2011. More than 38,000 people are reported missing in Australia each year. There are over 1600 people who have been missing long term.

 

I think the only thing worse than knowing that your loved one has been abducted, tortured and raped before being murdered, would be not knowing.

There is an entire television network dedicated to true crime, and a long list of killers, psychopaths and rapists who were detected and arrested.

 

But what about the ones who weren’t? How many killers, psychopaths and rapists are still operating and walking among us?

Those people on tv are the ones who didn’t cover their tracks well enough. What about the ones who haven’t been detected yet?

Furthermore, how do we protect ourselves and our loved ones without imprisoning ourselves?

It’s too bad rapists and murderers don’t have horns on their heads. So, how do you pick them out of the crowd? In most cases, you can’t. But here are a few helpful hints to keeping safe, regardless of your age, gender or location.

1. Listen to your gut instinct. If the voice inside you is telling you that something isn’t right, listen to it and leave. It is better to offend a stranger than to fall victim to a predator.
   

   Ted Bundy

   Did you know that Ted Bundy, one of the most infamous serial killers in the US lured his victims by wearing a fake plaster cast and asking young women to help him to his car? When they arrived, he would hit them over the head with a tyre iron.

2. Use well known, well lit and populated transportation routes. It is asking for trouble walking in a dark back street alone at night. If you have to walk somewhere, regardless what time of day, stick to main roads and well-lit areas where people will see you if something happens to you.
3. Predators are less likely to strike if there is a chance they will be seen. Predators like Fred and Rose West found many of their victims at bus stops in country areas late at night, offering young women lifts.
4. Remember, predators can be women, too! Predators like not just Rose West, but also Moors Murderer Myra Hindley both admitted that potential victims were more likely to accept a lift with a woman in the car.
5. Make it known that you have strong family connections. Predators will search out potential victims in even the most mundane of places like the pub, the dog park, even at the shops.
   

   Jeffrey Dahmer.

   If a predator chats you up, chances are they are checking you out to see if you would be missed if you were to disappear. Jeffrey Dahmer, the cannibal from Milwaukee would chat up young men in bars, and if they were runaways with little or no family connection, he would invite them back to his flat.

6. Do not hitch hike. Ensure you investigate public transport before you hit the road.
   

   Ivan Milat

   In Australia, the distance between destinations is often great. Between 1989 and 1992, Ivan Milat murdered seven young backpackers after offering them lifts on the Hume Highway. These days, the risks associated with hitch hiking are too great.

7. Use your common sense. Many predators look for victims of opportunity. One particular trick is to stick a piece of paper to the back of your car. The idea is that when you are leaving, generally late at night, you will get to your car, see the paper, and get out to move it. This is when the predator strikes, when your wallet and valuables are all in the car, and the keys in the ignition. If you get into your car and see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, do not get out of the car to remove it. Lock your doors and drive away.
8. Ensure the whole family has access to a mobile phone. This may seem excessive, but if you have children who catch the bus and or walk home on their own, a $20 phone loaded with $10 credit will relieve your worries and give them a way to contact you in case of an emergency.
9. Be prepared. When you’re going out, say, for a night on the town, plan ahead. Assign a designated driver, or organise an Uber for when it is time to go home. Don’t get yourself into situations where you are left alone with strangers or left stranded with no way home.

 

Remember, in case of an emergency, call 000.

I hope you liked this week’s Word From Brett. I’ll see you all really soon!