crime prevention – TheDailyChristian

The subways and trains that once symbolized the pulse of major cities have devolved into breeding grounds for unpredictability. You can stand in a crowded car and still feel completely alone — and worse, completely unprotected. Women, especially, are being targeted more often, more brazenly, and in ways that make you question whether humanity’s collective moral compass snapped in half somewhere along the line.

I’m not interested in offering false hope or pretending that the world is still the safe, civilized place that people like to imagine. It isn’t. The headlines are everywhere — women assaulted while commuting to work, stalked between train cars, attacked on platforms, shoved onto tracks, harassed in empty cars, or cornered by violent offenders who know exactly how slow response times can be underground. The predators know the environment favors them. They thrive in the chaos.

If you’re a woman riding the subway today, you’re not paranoid. You’re paying attention. And in times like these, paying attention is the only thing keeping you alive.

Below is not a “feel good” guide. This is not a cheerful pamphlet you’d get at a transit kiosk. This is a reality check — written from the mindset of someone who assumes the worst because the worst keeps happening. If you ride subways or trains, you deserve to know what you’re up against and how to stack the odds in your favor.

Because the system isn’t going to protect you. Society certainly isn’t. You have to do it yourself.

The Ugly Truth About Modern Transit Violence

Let’s get something straight: attacks on women in public transit aren’t “random anomalies.” The system is full of cracks, and predators slip through them like water through rusted pipes. Look around any subway system and you’ll see:

Platforms with minimal visibility
Cars with no staff presence
Delayed police response times
Broken cameras or cameras that “aren’t monitored live”
Overcrowded tunnels paired with understaffed stations
Social decline, untreated mental illness, and growing desperation
Strangers who behave erratically but face no intervention
Bystanders glued to their phones, oblivious or frozen

This perfect storm creates an environment where violent individuals can target women with startling ease. And it’s getting worse, not better. Cities keep promising safety. Transit authorities keep posting cheery posters with “See Something, Say Something,” as if words on paper can physically stop a deranged attacker from lunging at you.

Down in those tunnels, you’re on your own. Let’s stop pretending otherwise.

Mindset: The Most Important Tool You Have

Forget the fantasy that “being nice” or “not making a scene” keeps you safe. Predators count on that kind of thinking. What women need today is situational awareness, controlled suspicion, and a survival mindset.

This doesn’t mean walking around terrified. It means walking around prepared.

Adopt These Mental Rules Immediately:

Assume anyone can be a threat until proven otherwise.
It’s not pessimism. It’s self-preservation.
Never ignore your instincts.
If someone makes you uncomfortable, listen to that discomfort as if it’s a warning siren.
Don’t be polite at the expense of your own safety.
Move seats. Move cars. Stand up. Speak up. Leave.
Know where the exits and emergency intercoms are — always.
Do not board a train without identifying your escape route.
Keep your senses open.
Headphones may as well be blindfolds underground. You can’t detect danger if you can’t hear it.

Before You Even Step on the Train

Your safety starts before your foot touches the platform.

1. Stay in well-lit, populated areas

Avoid standing at the far ends of the platform. Predators prefer isolation, and so should you — if you want to avoid them.

2. Let someone know your travel route

Not because you’re weak — because you’re practical. Create a breadcrumb trail in case something goes wrong.

3. Have your essentials ready

Keys accessible
Phone charged
Emergency numbers pre-set
Personal safety tool ready but discreet

Do not dig through your bag when seconds matter.

4. Scan everyone around you

Not in fear — in analysis. Who’s agitated? Who’s pacing? Who’s staring? Who’s intoxicated? Your brain is more powerful than you think at identifying danger if you let it.

Choosing the Safest Car (Yes, There Is Such a Thing)

You can’t guarantee safety, but you can make smarter tactical choices.

Best options:

Cars with more people, not fewer
Cars that are near the conductor
Cars with working cameras
Cars where you have a clear view of the exit doors

Worst options:

Nearly empty cars
Cars with a hostile or unbalanced individual already inside
Train ends or between-car areas
Cars where the only available seat is boxed into a corner with no escape route

If a car “feels wrong,” trust that thought. Move. You owe no one an explanation.

What to Do Once You’re Inside the Car

Once inside, your goal is simple: reduce exposure, increase awareness, and maintain control over your space.

1. Sit near the exit doors

This gives you mobility. If trouble sparks, you can get out before being trapped.

2. Keep your back toward a wall or pole

You want to minimize blind spots. Sitting with your back exposed in a crowded car is practically an invitation for trouble.

3. Keep your phone visible but your attention outward

Pretending to be distracted is never worth the risk.

4. Keep a safety tool ready

Something legal, discreet, and practical — but only used if your life is truly in danger. The goal is escape, not confrontation.

5. Watch for behavioral red flags

Someone moving too close
Unwanted staring
Aggressive mumbling
Someone shadowing your movements
Someone blocking your exit path

These are not “maybe it’s nothing” situations. These are “keep every alarm bell ringing” moments.

If You Sense You’re Being Targeted

This is the part no one wants to think about, but ignoring it won’t make it go away.

1. Move immediately

Switch seats. Switch cars. Step off the train.
Action beats hesitation.

2. Make yourself less isolated

Stand near others, even if they’re strangers. Predators want privacy. Don’t give it to them.

3. Use your voice if needed

A loud, commanding “BACK UP” or “STOP” can disrupt an attacker’s plan and draw witnesses.

4. Hit the emergency intercom

That’s what it’s there for. Use it. Don’t wait for “proof.”

5. Exit the moment the doors open

If something feels off, leave. Even if it’s not your stop. Survival beats convenience every time.

If a Situation Escalates

Let’s hope it never reaches this point, but if it does, prioritize escape over fighting. Fighting is a last resort — not because you’re incapable, but because the environment is unpredictable and confined.

If physically attacked, your goal is:

Create distance
Break the attacker’s grasp
Move toward the nearest exit
Get off the train or into the next car

Call for help loudly and directly. “YOU — IN THE BLUE JACKET — CALL 911!” works better than vague shouting.

After You Get to Safety

If you experience or witness an attack:

Report it as soon as possible
Mention every detail you remember
Get medical attention if needed
Contact someone you trust

Even if law enforcement is slow, reporting helps build a pattern and can protect future victims.

Final Thoughts From a Cynical Realist

We can’t pretend anymore. Public transit has become a battlefield disguised as a commute. Women are being targeted because predators know they can get away with it. So don’t wait for society to wake up or for the system to fix itself — it won’t. Your safety is your responsibility, and your awareness is your strongest weapon.

The world may be spiraling, but you don’t have to spiral with it. Prepare. Stay alert. Trust your instincts. And remember: hope is not a strategy.

Survival is.

Crime is rising in places where it never used to exist, criminals are getting bolder, and society keeps acting shocked every time something awful happens, as if the writing hasn’t been smeared all over the wall for the last decade. Maybe you still cling to the fantasy that calling the police will magically solve everything. Well, I hate to break it to you—but by the time help arrives, the criminals will already be gone, and they’ll likely be holding half your belongings and your sense of security hostage.

If you want to keep your home—and your sanity—intact, you need deterrents. Not hopes. Not wishes. Not naïve trust in your ZIP code. You need real, physical, tactical strategies that send a crystal-clear message: Go bother someone else.
Below are the best burglar deterrents that actually work in this collapsing world.

1. Outdoor Lighting That Doesn’t Apologize for Existing

People talk about “warm,” “welcoming,” or “eco-friendly” outdoor lighting. Forget that nonsense. You need lighting that burns brighter than your disappointment in modern society—lights that flip on the moment a would-be intruder so much as breathes near your property line.

Motion-activated floodlights are one of the simplest deterrents you can install. Criminals rely on shadows, darkness, and people pretending not to notice them. When a floodlight blasts them in the face like a stadium spotlight, they rethink their life choices real fast.

Look for:

LED bulbs (long life, high brightness)
Wide-angle sensors
Waterproof housings
Placement higher than 9 feet so they can’t be smashed easily

You’d be amazed how many criminals abandon their brilliant plans the moment they’re confronted by a wall of blinding illumination. It’s almost poetic, really—rotting intentions exposed by light.

2. Security Cameras—Yes, Even the Fake Ones Work

We live in a surveillance era whether you like it or not. Cameras are everywhere except, ironically, on the homes of the people who actually need them the most. Criminals hate being recorded. They want to slither around unnoticed like the bottom-feeders they are.

You need cameras that are:

Visible
Weatherproof
Night-vision capable
Cloud-backed (so they can’t destroy the evidence)

Place them where they’re obvious—above entrances, near garages, overlooking walkways. You’re not trying to be subtle. You’re sending a message.

And here’s the kicker: Even dummy cameras help. A burglar sees a lens and a blinking LED and instantly starts questioning whether your house is worth the trouble. Sure, a seasoned professional might know the difference—but most people breaking into homes aren’t “professionals.” They’re desperate, sloppy opportunists hoping the universe will hand them something for free.

Not today. Not from your home.

3. Reinforced Doors and Windows—Because Builders Don’t Care About You

You’d think the front door—the main barrier between your life and the chaos outside—would be built strong. But no. Most doors are so flimsy they might as well be made of cardboard and optimism. The average door frame can be kicked in by anyone with working legs and bad intentions.

You need:

Reinforced strike plates
3-inch screws
Solid-core or steel doors
Window security film
Anti-lift devices on sliding doors

When some intruder tries kicking in your door and it doesn’t budge, they get confused. Criminals panic when things don’t go as planned. That’s where deterrence becomes protection.

Your windows? Same deal. Most are so easy to breach it’s insulting. Add security film so they don’t shatter like your hope for society’s future.

4. Alarms—The Loud, Obnoxious Kind

A burglar wants silence. They want time. They want a sense of control.

So your job is to remove all three.

A screaming alarm that sounds like a mechanical banshee is one of the most effective deterrents on Earth. The moment that shriek hits, the criminal knows every second increases the chance someone will notice them.

You don’t need a fancy subscription service or a contract that traps you like a mortgage. Even standalone alarms work:

Window alarms
Door alarms
Glass-break sensors
Smart alarms that alert your phone

Once that thing wails, criminals usually bolt. Nobody wants to get caught—especially not burglars who barely have functioning plans to begin with.

5. Dogs—The Original Security System

Forget what the commercials tell you. Forget the cutesy anecdotes. A barking dog is one of the most proven burglar deterrents in existence.

Criminals don’t want unpredictability. Dogs are unpredictable. They make noise. They draw attention. They bite.

Even a medium-size dog is enough to make a burglar reconsider their life choices. And if you happen to have a larger breed? Congratulations—your home just jumped several tiers on the “not worth the risk” list.

But don’t rely on the dog alone. You need overlapping layers. Dogs are wonderful, but they sleep. They get distracted. Technology doesn’t.

Combine the two and you’ve got a fortress.

6. Signs—Because Humans Fear Warnings More Than Reality

Does a sign stop a truly determined criminal? No. But it absolutely stops the lazy, opportunistic ones. And those are the majority.

Use signs like:

“24-Hour Video Surveillance”
“Beware of Dog”
“Security System Installed”
“Private Property – No Trespassing”

Some people say warning signs are “aggressive.” Good. Let them think that. You’re not running a daycare—you’re protecting your home from vultures.

7. Neighborhood Awareness—Even If You Hate People

Let’s be honest: Most preppers aren’t exactly thrilled about mingling with neighbors. But here’s the cold truth: Criminals thrive where nobody pays attention.

You don’t have to bake cookies together or exchange holiday cards. Just:

Learn their faces
Know what cars belong on your street
Pay attention when something feels “off”

You don’t need community spirit. You just need community awareness. Even the most pessimistic prepper can benefit from a quick text message warning them a suspicious individual was lurking around the mailboxes.

The Harsh Reality: Security Is Your Responsibility

No one is coming to save you. Not your city. Not your state. Not your neighbors. Not the system that keeps telling you everything is fine.

If you want security, you build it yourself.

The best burglar deterrents aren’t complicated—they’re layered. Combine lighting, cameras, reinforcing materials, alarms, signs, and situational awareness, and suddenly your home becomes the hardest target on the block.

Criminals don’t want a challenge. They want easy prey.

Make sure that’s never you.

TheDailyChristian

Tag: crime prevention

American Women Are Being Targeted and Murdered on Subways