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By Amy Oliver Daily Mail Online

It took squatters just two months to turn this £4.2million Bristol mansion from a luxury pad to a squalid hovel.

Thankfully, those who had been living in Clifton Wood House for free since February were removed by 50 riot police yesterday.

But as these pictures show, the nightmare isn’t over for the owners of the eight-bedroom property after the scrounging group left a trail of destruction in their wake.

The nightmare may soon start for another homeowner after one member said his group would ‘find another squat’ as he left the Grade II listed building.

Yesterday its 46-foot-long swimming pool area was a shadow of its former self following the squatters’ stay. They had daubed graffiti on the walls and hurled a road sign into the water.

Path of destruction: Scrounging squatters left the pool of a £4.2million mansion in the Clifton Wood area of Bristol, left, in tatters with graffiti on the walls and a road sign hurled into the water, right

From grand to gross: The squatters were removed from the property by 50 riot police yesterday, but not before they’d left its vast cellar, left, in a bad state with bags, clothes and what appeared to be drugs paraphernalia strewn across the floor, right

In the kitchen, half-eaten food and cans of beer were strewn across the once immaculate marble worktops. A couple of vases held what looked like weeds, their flowers drooping and decayed.

In the vaulted cellar with beautiful exposed brick work and flagstone floor, the freeloading group left furniture, clothes, rubbish and what appeared to be drugs paraphernalia for the owners – The Bank of Scotland – to clear up.

One of the property’s eight bedrooms fared no better. A grotty mattress was used as a makeshift bed, while crisps and crumbs, bottles and cigarette ends littered the wooden floor. An African drum and bits of expensive music equipment were just left behind.

The party got their spray cans out in one of the main rooms too. Tags were daubed onto the fireplace, while what looked like white paint, spilled out across the wooden floor. Empty beer bottles and cans lined up like fairground targets on a white dresser. A slowly deflating balloon and bent party blower lay in the fireplace signifying the remains of a gathering now thankfully over.

Disgusting: The once lovely wood kitchen complete with red Aga, Butler sink and parquet floor, left, was strewn with mess after the squatters were moved on. They left food rotting all over the surfaces and floor and dying flowers in vases

Not fit for purpose: The squatters turned the dining room into a hell hole leaving empty beer bottles on the shelves, a dead plant and graffiti on the fire place. A slowly deflating balloon and bent party blower lay in the fire place – proof that this gathering was finally over

The trail of destruction continued into the garden. Curtains from a tree house flapped in the wind, while bottles and chairs were left to the elements. A pile of rubbish bags, some gaping open to expose stinking rotting food, lay waiting for an unlucky bin man.

An order of possession was last week granted at Bristol County Court in favour of the building’s owners. The bailiffs had been planning to evict the squatters in the next few days.

But yesterday’s eviction came after nearby residents began complaining on Saturday evening about a noisy party at the gated mansion. The party continued to get louder throughout the evening, with more people seen going into the property.

Officers got into the main room in the house where the party was being held at about 6am yesterday, but were met by a group of around 35 ‘hostile’ revellers.

Some of the squatters climbed onto the roof to pelt officers with bottles. Police arrested four people and continued to monitor the property before returning at 7.30am. Today, five people were charged in connection with the incident.

Avon and Somerset Police said Daniella Price, 18, has been charged with assaulting a police officer and is due to appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on April 23.

Ryan Woolaway is also charged with assaulting a police officer and obstructing police. He is due to appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on April 25.
While Angelica Prestigiacomo, 19, is charged with a public order offence and due to appear at the same court on April 23.

A 17-year-old man charged with assaulting a police officer and obstructing police was due to appear at court this afternoon and another 17-year-old man was charged with a public order offence and bailed to appear at the youth court on April 23. A man in his 20s and an 18-year-old have been bailed until April 21.

Heartbreaking damage: A main room before the squatters moved in, left, and right, the state of the bedroom after they moved out.  A mattress had obviously acted as a makeshift bed while clothes, a drum and oddly an open tin of paint were left on the wooden floor

Junk: The trail of destruction continued into the garden after the squatters ruined a tree house and left old bottles and chairs lying around, left, while bags and bags of rubbish, right, were left for the bin men

A fracas between police and squatters then broke out in the street, believed to have been sparked when further sound equipment was seen being taken into the house.

Dozens more police – around 50 officers in total – arrived at the scene and nearby streets were closed off for most of yesterday morning. Officers then entered the house and removed the squatters.

Eleven people were arrested during the night and are currently helping police with their inquiries.

Grand: The squatters moved to the plush mansion after being evicted from the Occupy Bristol Camp at College Green back in February. It took them just two months to leave it in a sorry state

Before: The house, owned by The Bank of Scotland, is a Grade II listed building with a swimming pool, a gym, vaulted cellar, four bathrooms and playroom

Plush: It had been empty when the squatters moved in. Yesterday a private security firm was called in to board up and secure the property to stop further squatters getting inside

No luxuries: The house was still connected to both water and electricity when the squatters moved in, but estate agent Knight Frank turned off the gas supply after they arrived

Scroungers: None of the original group of squatters held jobs and food came through scavenging for leftovers and the little they earned through busking, they told the Daily Mail in February

A private security firm was called in to board up and secure the property to stop further squatters getting inside.

Some squatters – many who said they moved to the mansion after being evicted from the Occupy Bristol Camp at College Green – accused the police of brutality and told the Bristol Evening Post they had captured the police’s ‘forced entry’ on video.

They claimed police did not have a warrant to evict them and that they were simply holding a party for a friend’s birthday. But Police told the local paper they cleared the building using powers to stop raves under the Criminal Justice Act and no warrant was needed.

In need of repair: The squatters moved into eight-bedroom Clifton Wood House in February. An order of possession had been granted last week at Bristol County Court and bailiffs were set to move in but police got there first after residents complained about a noisy party at the house on Saturday night

Traveller Dexter Josephs, 19, said: ‘We were just having a party for a friend’s birthday and we were not making a noise.‘ Fellow squatter Raoul Duke, 22, said: ‘The police have treated us quite horribly. All the neighbours have been fine with us.

‘The police asked us to turn down the music, which we did. They were outside in the riot vans and then kicked in the doors and pushed through the metal gates.

‘We locked what doors we could inside to slow them down, but they continued to boot in the doors. They put my arm behind my back and pushed me out.

‘We don’t feel we have done anything wrong. Essentially, this course of action has just left around 35 people homeless.’

Out: The squatters claimed the police did not have a warrant to evict them and that they were simply holding a party for a friend’s birthday. But Police said they cleared the building using powers to stop raves under the Criminal Justice Act and no warrant was needed

 

But residents living near the property said they were glad to see the back of them.

Retail assistant Yeeyan Yip, 30, who lives on nearby Randall Road, said: ‘When they first moved in they didn’t make much noise, but they started having raves at night in the last few weeks.

‘Only the other week they were on the roof knocking off golf balls which were hitting nearby homes and cars. We heard the party about midnight on Saturday and we heard a fight break out outside the house and that’s when we called the police.

‘We then woke up this morning to see the road filled with police. We are very happy the squatters are gone as it’s been a nightmare for local residents.’

Last few bits: A squatter is escorted from the mansion by police after being allowed inside to pick up his posessions

 

Packing up, moving on: A security guard helps squatter Haile Bless, left, to carry his possession from the mansion, left, while right, he and another squatter stand outside a sign that warns people about security at the house

 

Protest: A bare-foot squatter dressed in a brightly coloured coat stands out against the dark colours of the riot police behind her

Resident Trina Gately, 31, has lived at Church Lane just a few hundred metres from the mansion for two years. She said: ‘They have totally trashed the house and the rubbish outside the house had really piled up.

‘I heard the commotion at around 2am and there were people in the street and climbing over the walls. This is a quiet area and I hope now they are gone, peace will be restored.’

Once the building was empty, squatters were then allowed in one by one, accompanied by police, during the morning to collect their belongings.

Many remained sat out on the street continuing to protest at their removal and singing and playing the guitar. Others, laden down with carrier bags, rucksacks and quilts, slowly made their way from the scene to look for a new place to stay.

One protester, who would not be named, said: ‘We are not sure where to go now, but I am sure we will find another squat.’

Police remained outside the house for most of the day.

 

 

This is no April fool’s joke: A flame-haired young woman wearing a tutu confronts riot police officers outside the mansion during the eviction yesterday

 

Getting ugly: Once the building was empty, squatters were then allowed in one by one, accompanied by police, during the morning to collect their belongings. Many remained sat out on the street continuing to protest at their removal and singing and playing the guitar

The above could have been prevented by appropriate Management of this unoccupied property by using the Security and Protection Agency’s services. Follow this link:  SPA Prestige Property Services

Continue reading »]]> Source:  BBC News

Saudi Arabia’s deputy consul in the southern Yemeni city of Aden has been kidnapped outside his home.

Police in the city’s Mansoura district said gunmen abducted Abdullah al-Khalidi as he was about to get into his car, escaping in another vehicle.

A security operation is now under way in the city in an effort to find him.

Aden is the city closest to Yemen’s Abyan province where government forces have been struggling to contain militant groups linked to al Qaeda.

In the past year these groups have consolidated their control over several towns and villages in the region, including Abyan’s capital Zinjibar.

Kidnapping is common in Yemen, with captives often being held as negotiating tools in disputes between rival tribes or armed groups.

Earlier on Wednesday Saudi Arabia announced it would provide Yemen with all its petroleum needs for two months.

The official news agency Saba announced the deal in its report of a meeting between King Abdullah and the Yemeni president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Attacks by armed groups on pipelines have hit Yemen’s small oil industry hard, with both domestic and export production badly affected.

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The most dangerous place on Earth?

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Continue reading »]]> Simon Cowell intruder was “armed with a brick”

From www.ITV.com

Music supremo Simon Cowell found a woman intruder in his home armed with a brick, his spokesman said today.

The incident happened at around 10.30pm on Saturday night at the 52-year-old’s west London property.

His spokesman Max Clifford told The Sun: “There was a loud bang and Simon rushed upstairs to find out what was going on.

“It came from the bathroom so he went in and there was a woman standing there holding a brick.”

Mr Clifford added: “It was a very frightening experience for Simon, who told me it was like something from a horror movie.”

A 29-year-old woman has been charged with breaking into the music mogul’s home.

Leanne Zaloumis, of Brownhill Road, Catford, south east London, is in custody and will appear at West London Magistrates’ Court today.

Security and Protection Agency Close Protection

Continue reading »]]> Life of luxury for 14 Occupy protestors who have ditched tents to squat in £3m house… with its own swimming pool

Empty properties can cost the owner higher insurance premiums and the risk of squatters moving in causing months of lost rental income and very high legal costs to remove them.

Below article by Luke Salkeld of the  Mail Online

For weeks they have been living in tents on an historic green as part of the ‘Occupy’ protest movement.

Now, having turned that public area into a muddy swamp, they have moved on to far more comfortable lodgings.

Staying true to the name of their faction, a group of former campers are now occupying a £3million eight-bedroom mansion – as squatters.

The Grade II listed building provides its new residents with a large (empty) swimming pool, a gym, vaulted cellar, four bathrooms and playroom.

Grade II-listed Clifton Wood House is an early 18th century property complete with gym, vaulted cellar and an indoor heated swimming pool

 

Squatters: Alex, Haile Bless and an un-named friend on the grand staircase of the £2.9million Cliftonwood House

The squatters yesterday refused to confirm how they gained entry to the house in the exclusive Clifton Wood area of Bristol a week ago.

But they insist they have not broken the law – and are planning to stay.

One of the group, Haile Blessed, said: ‘I won’t say we want to stay as long as possible because that then makes it into a game. Ultimately we want to stay for forever.

‘Once I put up my pictures I don’t take them down.’

Up to 14 squatters have been living in the house in recent weeks. Their food comes through scavenging for leftovers and the little they earn through busking

Another squatter, Mat, said: ‘It’s try before you buy isn’t it? We live in a generation where everything is try before you buy, that’s what we’re doing. We’re prospective buyers.’

Bristol’s Occupy movement set up their camp on College Green in October with up to 60 tents erected on the lawns.

But within weeks the site, which overlooks Bristol Cathedral, was reduced to a muddy swamp full of rubbish, empty cider bottles and used syringes.

Security teams eventually moved in to clear the site on January 31 after a judge granted an eviction order.

The protesters had promised to help clear up their mess, but none were present to assist council contractors with the removal of rubbish.

It has been estimated that £20,000 damage was caused to the green but a local contractor has now offered to re-turf the entire area for the knock-down price of £4,800.

‘We live in a generation where everything is try before you buy, that’s what we’re doing. We’re prospective buyers,’ said one of the squatters

The group discovered the house was empty through a squatting association who keep a list of houses that are owned by companies and not individuals.

The mansion is still connected to both water and electricity but the estate agent Knight Frank has turned off the gas since the squatters made it their home

Continue reading »]]> Squatters

Squatting is when someone occupies an empty or abandoned property without the owner’s permission, often without his knowledge and without any normal legal right to do so.

The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 criminalised violent or forced entry by unauthorised occupiers.

Genuine squatters cannot be forcibly moved without a court order.

See Land Registration Act 2002 for changes to the law of Adverse Possession.

Fly-traders and squatters in residential and commercial premises and on vacant land are a continuing problem to property agents, landlords and local authorities.

Squatters’ Rights

If an occupier has no ownership documents, no lease or tenancy agreement, no record of having paid rent to a landlord, and no other evidence of occupancy rights exist, then the occupier is a squatter.

It is perhaps of no consolation to landlords that squatters often believe they have a perfect right to occupy when properties are left vacant, especially for long periods.

Even so, the squatter has rights. Squatters cannot be legally evicted from premises without a court possession order, unless they leave voluntarily or the owner secures peacable re-entry.

Removing Squatters Quickly

You need to act quickly once you find squatters in your premises. Given the trouble, stress, delay and expense of the legal process it is well worth having a jolly good try to peaceably pursuade the squatters to leave, or, if you get the opportunity, to peaceably re-enter and take over, bearing in mind you have a duty of care for any of the squatters’ possessions.

Remember though, never use force or threats of violence: this could result in you getting yourself a criminal record, so its a good idea to have a witness with you at all times in case you are accused of this – otherwise it is very difficult to disprove such an accusation.

It may even be worthwhile to invest some money by offering to pay for temporary accommodation and removals, if you can establish some sort of raport, and pursuade them to go quickly.

Failing all of this, the legal process has now been speeded up considerably when it comes to removing squatters, by means of an Interim Possession Order. Use a solicitor to deal with this for you if you don’t feel confident about doing it yourself. It is quite feasible to do this yourself, providing you are willing to do the homework, and save a considerable amount of money.

Interim Possession Order

A quicker procedure now exists which allows landlords to apply for an interim possession order, pending a judge’s decision to grant a full possession order.

http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/ex332_0405.pdf

An important consideration is that a claim for possession is made within 28 days of becoming aware of the existence of squatters occupying your property. If you do not do this the judge will take into consideration whether you, as owner or landlord, should have known about the occupation sooner that you did.

To assist your case you will be invited to make an undertaking to the court that:

1. You will allow the occupier/s back onto the premises (with compensation) if the court later decides you were not entitled to an interim possession order.

2. You will not re-let the premises, damage or dispose of them until the court makes its final decision by granting a full possession order.

The rules are strict when it comes to serving papers and notices on the squatters – it is easy to fall fowl of the rules here.

Within a few days the court should issue the claim, following which you must serve the court papers on the squatters within 24 hours, either in person or attached to and displayed on the main door of the premises.

If the court grants an interim possession order a copy of the order must be served on the squatters within 48 hours and the squatters will be required to leave within 24 hours and not return within 12 months.

If the squatter/s refuse to leave they are committing a criminal offence and risk being arrested by the police or being evicted by a court bailiff. They may also be subject to a fine or imprisonment or both.

The squatters are entitled to put forward a defense at one further hearing, failing which a final Possession Order will be made. If the squatters are still in possession at this stage, the court bailiff, if necessary assisted by the police, can evict.

The whole process should be capable of being resolved within one to two weeks, providing you can prove your own title and the tresspassers cannot show any sort of legal interest in the land.

Court Service Web Site – Information on Squatters

Full details and advice for both parties, known legally as applicants and respondents, owners or landlords and squatters are available on the Court Service Web Site. A guide for owners/landlords is available in pdf format at: http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/ex332_0405.pdf

Landlords’ Guide to Preventing Squatters

Landlords would obviously wish to avoid occupation by squatters in the first place. Sensible precautions would be:

• Keeping properties securely looked when unoccupied. Security is a landlords’ concern not only when their properties are vacant.
• Maintain adequate security both when let and when vacant – local police will advise. Landlords can in theory be held responsible for a residential tenant’s losses if properties are vulnerable to burglaries etc., therefore it is in the landlord’s interest to do this.
• Vacant premises attract higher insurance premiums for landlords, so you should consult your insurers about measures they require you to take take when your properties are vacant.
• Giving the appearance of occupation. Have curtains or blinds in place and perhaps have a neighbour or cleaners make regular visits. Leave radios switched on, and lights on timers.
• Commercial premises can often be occupied on a temporary trading basis, on short-term agreements (up to 6 months), particularly shops.
• Fence off or adequately barricade areas of vacant land.
• Provide regular security patrols if necessary.
• There are companies who specialise in providing temporary occupiers for vacant commercial and residential premises – see our Directory under Security
• Make regular visits to premises and vacant land and monitor the situation carefully.
• Do not leave premises unoccupied for long periods. Most landlords do not do this as they want to avoid vacant periods. However, there are many instances where properties or land are left vacant for many years.
• If you find anyone occupying your property without your consent contact the police immediately. They may be able to act without reference to the courts, though they sometimes need some persuasion to do this.
• Try to be present when the police attend as you as owner can advise on the true situation and you want to avoid further damage to the premises.
• If the police are unable or not willing to assist, start legal proceedings for an Interim Possession Order immediately.

Guide to Removing Squatters

If you discover trespassers or squatters in your property you should be able to remove them quite legally within a two-week period, providing you go about the process correctly:

• Do not try to use force to remove the squatters yourself – you could find yourself accused of a criminal act under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977.
• However, peaceable re-entry is legal and acceptable.
• Try to persuade the squatters to leave voluntarily, failing which:
• Try the police – they may be willing to assist particularly if occupation is recent and there is evidence of forced entry.
• Try to get evidence to prove to the court that there are unauthorised persons in your property – names of trespassers if possible and statements from other residents and neighbours, and photographs will all be very useful.
• Get together evidence of your own ownership – Land Registry documents, title deeds, tenancy surrender documents etc.
• Contact bailiffs or a solicitor or start proceedings yourself. See our Directory: Bailiffs & Investigators, Solicitors and Legal Services
• Visit your County Court or the Court Service web site – see below.
• The process can start through the court within 2 days.
• Once the correct notices are issued, the court should allocate an early hearing date.
• Squatters must be given five clear days’ notice and notices must be served on them personally, or, failing that, a notice fixed to the door of the property.
• The hearing is usually informal. The squatters may turn up and challenge but they must have evidence of a legal interest in the land (e.g., a tenancy) otherwise there is no defence to their claim for possession and the court should issue an Order for Possession.
• With a Possession Order the landlord can ask the squatters to leave. If they refuse he will need to instruct the court bailiff to evict, with police assistance if necessary.
• Once possession is regained, the locks should be changed and the premises properly secured.

The Squatters’ View

Most squatters believe that they have a right to make use of unoccupied property and indeed a sizeable culture of squatting exists today in the UK. Many web sites now exist to advise and support squatting so often squatters occupying your property know as much, or indeed more, than you do about the law and their minimum rights. This extract from one site gives a flavour:

“Since 1968, over a quarter of a million people in Britain have walked into an uninhabited house owned by someone else and proceeded to set up without seeking permission and without paying rent. By doing so, they have become squatters. Some have been thrown out within hours. Others have stayed for months, even years, before being evicted by bailiffs or leaving under threat of a court order. A few have managed to establish permanent homes.

Most squatting has occurred in old flats and houses in the larger towns and cities, but every conceivable type of empty property has been squatted – from luxury flats to dilapidated slums, from country cottages to suburban semis, from old churches to disused factories

Squatting is an ancient practice, and has occurred at some stage, in different forms, throughout the world. Yet the last 12 years in Britain has seen a spectacular rise in the number of people who have taken over empty buildings. No longer does “squatting” describe the isolated actions of numerous individuals. Instead, it has become a social movement of great significance, whose impact upon housing policy has already been considerable, but whose potential has yet, perhaps, to be fully realised.”

 Information taken from Landlord Zone  www.landlordzone.co.uk

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Continue reading »]]> Lindsay Lohan Hiring Bodyguard After Stalker Visits Her Home

Star said to be ‘terrified’…

Continue reading »]]> The following guidance was issued by the United States State Department advising on how to survive a kidnapping:

The common hostage responses of fear, denial, and withdrawal are all experienced in varying degrees. You may be blindfolded, drugged, handled roughly, or even stuffed in the trunk of a car. If drugs are administered, do not resist. Their purpose will be to sedate you and make you more manageable; these same drugs may actually help you to get control of your emotions, which should be your immediate goal. If conscious, follow your captors’ instructions.

Captivity

A hostage-taking situation is at its worst at the onset. The terrorists are nervous and unsure, easily irritated, often irrational. It is a psychologically traumatic moment for the hostage. Violence may be used even if the hostage remains passive, but resistance could result in death.

If taken hostage, your best defense is passive cooperation. You may be terrified, but try to regain your composure as soon as possible and to organize your thoughts. Being able to behave rationally increases your chances for survival. The more time that passes, the better your chances of being released alive.

Behavior Suggestions

Each captivity is different, but some behavior suggestions apply to most:

• Try to establish some kind of rapport with your captors. Family is a universal subject. Avoid political dialogues, but listen attentively to their point of view. If you know their language, listen and observe; and if addressed, use it.
• Plan on a lengthy stay, and determine to keep track of the passage of time. Captors may attempt to confuse your sense of time by taking your watch, keeping you in a windowless cell, or serving meals at odd hours. However, you can approximate time by noting, for example, changes in temperatures between night and day; the frequency and intensity of outside noises—traffic, whistles, birds; and by observing the alertness of guards.
• Maintain your dignity and self-respect at all times.
• Manage your time by setting up schedules for simple tasks, exercises, daydreaming, housekeeping.
• Build relations with fellow captives and with the terrorists. If hostages are held apart, devise ways to communicate with one another. Where hostages are moved back and forth, to bathrooms for example, messages can be written and left. However, do not jeopardize your safety or the safety or treatment of others if attempting to communicate with fellow captives seems too risky.
• Maintain your physical and mental health; it is critical to exercise body and mind. Eat food provided without complaint; keep up your strength. Request medical treatment or special medicines if required.
• Establish exercise and relaxation programs. Exercise produces a healthy tiredness and gives you a sense of accomplishment. If space is confined, do isometrics. Relaxation reduces stress. Techniques include meditation, prayer, daydreaming. · Keep your mind active; read anything available. Write, even if you are not allowed to retain your writings. If materials are not available, mentally compose poetry or fiction, try to recall Scripture, design a house, even “play tennis” (as one hostage did).
• Take note of the characteristics of your captors and surroundings: their habits, speech, contacts; exterior noises (typical of city or country); and other distinctive sounds. This information could prove very valuable later.If selected for early release, consider it an opportunity to help remaining hostages. Details you have observed on the terrorists and the general situation can assist authorities with a rescue.You can expect to be accused of working for the government’s intelligence service, to be interrogated extensively, and to lose weight. You may be put in isolation; your captives may try to disorient you. It is important that you mentally maintain control.

  Avoidance of Capture or Escape

  Efforts to avoid capture or to attempt escape have in most cases been futile. The decision, however, is a personal one, although it could affect fellow hostages by placing them in jeopardy. Several other considerations should be weighed.

  To have any chance of success, you should be in excellent physical condition and mentally prepared to react before the terrorists have consolidated their position. This, also, is the riskiest psychological time. You would need to have a plan in mind, and possibly have been trained in special driving tactics or other survival skills.

  If you are held in a country in which you would stand out because of race or other physical characteristics, if you know nothing of the language or your location, or if you are held in a country where anti-American or anti-Western attitudes prevail, you should consider the consequences of your escape before attempting it. If you conclude that an escape attempt is worthwhile, take terrorists by surprise and you may make it. If their organization has a poor track record of hostage safety, it may be worth the risk.

  Rescue

  The termination of any terrorist incident is extremely tense. If an assault force attempts a rescue, it is imperative that you remain calm and out of the way. Make no sudden moves or take any action by which you could be mistaken for a terrorist and risk being injured or killed.

  Even in a voluntary release or surrender by the terrorists, tensions are charged and tempers volatile. Very precise instructions will be given to the hostages, either by the captors or the police. Follow instructions precisely. You may be asked to exit with hands in the air, and you may be searched by the rescue team. You may experience rough treatment until you are identified and the situation has stabilized.

  Finally, it’s worth keeping in mind three facts about terrorism:

• The overwhelming majority of victims have been abducted from their vehicles on the way to or from work.
• A large number of people taken hostage ignored the most basic security precautions.
• Terrorist tactics are not static. As precautions prove effective, they change their methods. There is a brief “window of vulnerability” while we learn to counter their new styles.Additional PrecautionsDo not settle into a routine. Vary times and routes to and from work or social engagements.

  Remember, there is safety in numbers. Avoid going out alone. When traveling long distances by automobile, go in a convoy. Avoid back country roads and dangerous areas of the city.

  A privately owned car generally offers the best security. Avoid luxury or ostentatious cars. Keep your automobile in good repair and the gas tank at least half full. Driving in the center lane of a multiple lane highway makes it difficult for the car to be forced off the road.

  [Source: The United States State Department]

Continue reading »]]> There was a time when carjacking only happened when there are no occupants inside, but nowadays, you could be stopped point blank in the middle of the road, and the results can sometimes be fatal. However bleak the situation may seem to be, the Philippine National Police or PNP made a statement that “statistically, your chances of being a carjacking victim are very slim, and prevention actions can reduce the risk even more.”

Carjackers are indiscriminating when it comes to choosing victims, it doesn’t mean that you’re automatically a target if you’re a girl, look Chinese or drive an expensive car. For all we know, you could be driving an old car model but still be a target of these operations.

Carjacker’s targets

• Carjackers study their victims first and plan on how to steal their car.
• Carjackers look for look-a-like cars to steal to be able to sell them easily.
• Intersections controlled by stop lights or signs.
• Garages and parking lots for mass transit, shopping malls, and grocery stores.
• ATMs (automated teller machines).
• Residential driveways and streets as people get in and out of cars.
• Highway exit and entry ramps, or anyplace else that drivers slow down or stop.

According to the PNP, the usual modus is they “bump and rob” your car. They might bump the rear end of your car, then, when you come out to inspect it, one of their members would spring into action and jump into your car.

What you can do

• If you’re bumped by another car, look around before you get out.
• Make sure there are other cars around, check out the car that’s rear-ended you and who’s in it. If the situation makes you uneasy, memorize or jot down the car’s tag number and description; signal the other car to follow you. Drive to the nearest police station or to a busy, well-lighted area.
• If you do get out of the car, take your keys (and purse or wallet if you have one) with you and stay alert.

Parking Lot

There is a video circulating on the web of how a carjacker works without even having to use a weapon. What he did was simply tie empty soda cans on the muffler, then the owner of the car arrives and starts the engine, driving for a few feet or so, she gets out to check her muffler. Her boo-boo is that she left her car door wide open for the waiting carnapper to get in and drive away.

What you can do when getting in

• Approach your car with the key at hand. If you have one of those key-less entry system, don’t be in a hurry to unlock.
• Make sure to go around your vehicle and inspect your car and surroundings first before boarding. Once inside, always make it a habit to lock doors and wear seatbelt as soon as possible. Don’t linger around.
• Be wary of people asking for a ride, directions, or handing out pamphlets.
• Trust your instincts. If you don’t feel comfortable, get into the car quickly, lock the doors and drive away.

When on the road

• Drive in the center lane to make it hard for would-be carjackers to strike on your car.
• When coming to a stop, leave enough room to maneuver around other cars.
• Don’t stop to assist a stranger even if she’s smokin’ hot. You can help by driving on and pulling over a few kilometres away and call the authorities for help.

Parking

• Never leave valuables in plain view, even if the car is locked. Put them in the trunk or out of sight.
• Park in well- lighted areas, near walkways. Avoid parking near large vehicles or anything that may limit the view to your car.
• Try to park in a garage with an attendant or security personnel.
• Even if you are in a hurry, look around before you get out and stay alert to your surroundings.

If it happens to you

• If a carjacker threatens your life with a weapon, don’t be a hero. Don’t argue. Your life is more expensive than your car.
• Get away from the scene as quickly as possible
• Remember the details: sex, height, race, age, hair, eye color, special distinctive feature, clothes, mannerism.
• Report the crime immediately to the police

More tips:

• Install a mechanical device that locks the steering wheel, column or brakes
• When purchasing a vehicle, always ask if it is equipped with tracking/ security system.
• Never leave important documents in your car, specially documents relating to that vehicle. What you can do is copy the vehicle identification number (VIN) and carry it with you at all times.
• If leaving your car to a valet attendant or mechanic make sure to just leave the ignition key

Sometimes, the vehicle isn’t the only thing you can say goodbye to – I have a friend who forgot to stash his laptop in the trunk one night, instead he left it at the passenger seat, once he got back to his car, the passenger window was smashed and the laptop was gone. Be vigilant and don’t tempt others – your safety depends on it.