For those who have nothing to invest, crime is an easy career choice. The current risks of being caught are minimal and rewards mostly very good. With the rules of our society we cannot completely eliminate crime. We therefore must change the risk factor of crime. We need to increase the odds against being victimized. If the chances of being caught or hurt were higher, criminals will think twice before jumping in a ?new venture?; therefore greatly reducing the chances of criminal acts.



And if they do to try it, the chances of them succeeding will be very low if everyone had some kind of personal protection device to be able to protect or defend themselves with. There are many kinds of personal protection products out there. Most people will directly think of a gun when talking self-defense. Not necessarily. I've met people, especially women, who said they could not stand the idea of killing or badly injuring someone even if they were being aggressed. That mean, if they had a gun, they probably would not use it. Not to mention that use of guns requires a lot of education and training. Oh! And it comes with a big social responsibility. And guns are restricted by many local and federal laws.

Even if you are the most responsible person and highly trained with guns, they are not always effective in stopping a determined attacker. For guns to be effective in stopping an attacker, you have to hit specific area of the person; which is not always possible when you are under pressure and your target is moving. And if you miss, your attacker may take that gun from you and kill you with it or you may jus hit and an innocent by passer somewhere. When you think about it, guns? risks outweigh their benefits.

There are many personal protection products that are less risky and much more effective than guns.

Pepper sprays for examples are a good non-lethal self-defense product. They usually come in small canisters that you can carry with you everywhere. What make the pepper sprays so effective is that in addition to causing an attacker pain, it swells the mucous membranes, which makes breathing difficult and swells the veins in the eyes, causing the eyes to close. With their eyes closed, how can they continue to attack you? You then have plenty of time to move out of harm way or call for help or subdue the attacker. The effects of the pepper spray can last up to 30 minutes, there is no permanent damage. That makes this the preferred choice of personal protection device for women. Pepper spray are now being made to look like common everyday items like lipstick, pen, rings, pager, walking weights and many more.

Tasers and stun guns are another effective way of stopping attackers. They use high voltage and low amperage electricity to temporarily disable an attacker for several minutes. The energy stored into the stun guns or tasers is dumped into the attacker muscles, causing them to do a great deal of work rapidly. This rapid work cycle instantly depletes the attacker's blood sugar by converting it to lactic acid. In short, he's unable to produce energy for his muscles, and his body is unable to function properly. They stun guns and tasers also interrupts the tiny neurological impulses that control and direct voluntary muscle movement. When the attacker's neuromuscular system is overwhelmed and controlled by the device, he loses balance. Should he be touching, the current will not pass to your body, making it completely safe. There are some stun guns that have a disable pin attached to a wrist strap. If you have the strap around you wrist and the attacker manages to grab and take the device from you, the pin will pull out, disabling the device. It can not then be used against you. There are also stun guns designed to look like cell phone or flashlight; those are more recommended for women as they add the advantage of a surprise.

For those who can not stand inflicting pain to a person, even under attack, there are personal alarms. Personal alarms are small, mostly electronic, devices that make a very loud noise when activated. They are intended to draw attention and get you the help you need when you feel threatened. They are very portable and may offer other utilities like a flashlight.

Home alarm systems are a good way to deter and prevent intrusion in you home. But until recently, only home owner were untitled to that luxury and you have to sign a 3-5 years monitoring contract. Now with the new wireless home alarm system you no longer have to own a home to have an alarm system. Because there is no hard wiring involved, you do not necessarily need the home owner's permission. This makes it perfect for rental homes and apartments. But you still have to sign a 3-5 years contract with most wireless home alarm systems. The good news is there are some that are offering a self-monitoring option. What that means is, when the alarm is triggered, the system calls phone numbers you preprogram in it up to 5 numbers. You can program your work number, your cell phone number, your spouse number and everybody that can help in case the alarm is triggered. Some systems will allow you to listen in the room or speak over the system or turn off the system. Some systems are even expandable. That mean you can add more door/window or motion sensors, in case you decide to move to a bigger house.

Surveillance systems are also a good way of deterring crimes. Statistics show that the presence of security cameras alone is a good deterrent to crimes. And if the crime occurs anyway, you have hard proof against the criminal. In the past, surveillance systems were only used by the government and private investigators. But now more and more people are finding a need for them. Millions of people are using surveillance systems to keep an eye on their homes and businesses.

All the above listed options offer a win/win situation, deterrence to crime and protection if victimized. A combination of them by everyone will greatly reduce crime rates around the country.