I received this from a good friend so i wanted to share it the best way i know.......

Some advice from Bedfordshire police.....
Women.... In light of the recent kidnapping and now murder of Leigh Mathews I think it is important to read the following info for your own safety.
Things women should know to stay safe:
Please Take the time to read these pointers. There may just be one or two you hadn't thought of.
After reading this, forward it to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
2. If a robber asks for your handbag, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you.... he is probably more interested in your handbag than you and he will go for the handbag. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the boot of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm through the hole and start waving. The driver won't see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4.Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their cheque book, or making a list). DON'T DO THIS! A predator could be watching you, and
this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, and attack you. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a car park:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and check the back seat.
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most attackers surprise their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the shop, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the lift instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot.
7.If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help"into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear babies' cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.
Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby.
I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life.
A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle.
Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better safe than sorry.

Love n hugs to all,
K-M XXXOOO

Oh, and another thing bullets don't have to hit an internal organ to kill you. A lot of bullets will fragment on impact so meaning that although the hole they go into is the size of a 5p they exit via one the size of a large grapefruit.

Limb loss is a common consequence of gunshot wounds.

Also high velocity bullets that pass through the body can cause major internal injuries due to compression and shockwave effects (in a diameter of up to 30 times that of the bullet).

Moral of the story - if someone has a gun give them everything they want...

fucking hell!! I think im now going to become the most paramoid person eva, and neva leave the house again! But in the unlikely situation that I do, I know what to do! I liked the bit about if they try and shotot you, then they only have 4 in 100 chance.....comforting! Thanx, and guys, beaware! xx

Okies, I'll add my bit.
It is illegal to carry knives or weapons, but the following items are not illegal and can be used in a pinch, should someone attempt to assult you.

RAPE ALARM!! (duh)

Set 999 as a fast key on yer mobile, even if you can't actually talk into the phone, the call will be recorded, in addition you can try to drop hints as to your location. This recorded call can, if the worst comes to the worst, be used as evidence in a court of law.

Chanel No5 - or any other variety of spray perfume, would you like to spray it into your eyes intentionally? No? Well, an attacker will be rendered just as blind as you by it.

Keys- hold in fist with the pointy section outward thru your fingers, now punch.. aim for the face or neck, and don't hold back..

Fingernails- no, they won't get the bastard off you, but "four bleeding rents over one eye and down the left cheek officer" is extremely helpful.

Bottles and Glasses- often to hand in clubs or outside of clubs, their use is obvious, but take a safety tip, to use a bottle effectively you must grip the drinking end firmly, and smack the edge of the bottom end against a wall HARD, do it at an angle, the drinking part will not break, but the bottom will shear off, leaving you will an extremely intimidating weapon in hand. Its worth practising this (wear thick gloves and look away from the bottle in case glass flies) as doing it in a professional and practiced manner makes you look like a proper nutcase, I have seen off a few problem males this way, with no other action needed. If they don't get the message shove the pointy end into the crotch, and twist. Beware, thery have to have hit you FIRST otherwise you are guilty of assult, and will be in big trouble.

Keep an eye out for bricks and similar, they are often piled up next to roads, its worth making a habit of checking for things like this as you walk, if you know they are there you know (potentially) what you could use in defence were you to be cornered.

If you are worried you don't pack a hard punch, punch the windpipe (its agony) or flatten your palm, and hit for the underside of the nose, upward, as hard as you can. This may cause the bridge of the nose to splinter into the face, either way, it will send your crim scurrying to A&E looking like a bulldog ripped his face off, the police can grab him there.

heels - take em off to run, smash in face if he catches up.Try an remember, when belting someone round the head with an object, go for the temple if at all possible, and do it more than once if it does'nt have an immediate effect. Its amazing how quickly somone can get up, even after a flooring blow to the head, so a gentle toepunt to the face, or a good hard kick to any avaliable sensitive portion will help ensure you have a good head start. NOW RUN.

If someone is strangling you, don't bother grabbing the arms, it does'nt help, use your legs, nails, kick, bite, scream, hurt him as much as you can. try an keep your head an use that FAST KEY YOU SET UP ON YOUR MOBILE

and remember, try to avoid walking alone at night or in quiet areas, if you feel like you may have been spiked in a club, remember the golden rule, find a friend or tell a bouncer that you think someone might have spiked you.

Dont know about anyone else, but I found that really interesting. Scares me to think that I really dont have a clue on how to look after myself at all!!! Buddies added - thanks for the info

thanks amanda, did learn a little self defence at work, incase we ever get into a situation at work, but putting it into practice is another thing, tried a few moves on rob but didnt get very far, infact didnt get me anywhere, x

Nicely done tori :-) xx

thanks nutbar, tried and tested methods are generally the most effective..lol

Thanx! Will take note of that one! I'm all scared now! Might just go into hiding for the weekend!!

Cheers for the info girls, definately a few life savers in there. Buddys added xx

Will be adding buddies, must admit somethings in there that I would never normally have thought of!!

Cheers Cyz, Will add the Ladeez!!!

Mel x

Duly noted and now officially pooing myself!!

Thanx for the tips!! buds added!!

hur, dude, check my tips list, substitute chanelle for hugo boss (spray bottle) and forget the heels part, otherwise, all else applies... rape alarms are good for guys too... they draw attention to ANY incident, (handy if you end up laying there, minus yer mobile and with a blade stuck in your guts)

Niiiiiiiice touch ;-P love u babes xx

Mel...Thankyou for taking the time to put it down.....Yes some v valid points there....Common sense is best defence too, but hey if ya spangled that usually goes out the window!!..Just stick with ya mates and look after each other, Jerry Springer anyone!!

Have a fab weekend and keep it real! :)

XXX

1) Women are extremely violent too

2) If you're a bloke you're about 500% more likely to get attacked than a girl.

why does no one ever post/do workshops/give advice on these things - "look out guys"...?

back to the thread girls... I say also never scream out "help" - scream out "rape" or something.

also if they have a weapon, give them what they want... don't view a "mugging" as a personal attack, view it as business transaction - you give them money, they don't hurt you. Easy.

God I'm glad I don't live in london...

I mean... I know things happen everywhere... But god I hate cities...

Well I reckon you should shout out 'FIRE!' cos everyone runs to a fire and it will bewilder the attaker.

Well done K-M for making everyone more aware of this! :)

And while Iain is right about the driver getting a warning light/sound, you should kick out the tail lights *anyway* - it'll definitely make the driver of the car behind take notice and call the police if he/she sees lights smashing and then an arm waving!

Hmm - all interesting and useful to know and it certainly is a good idea to be careful .... but I think there's an awful lot to worry about in life anyway, without worrying about being abducted in a car park, or whatever. And I'm concerned about the idea of women being suspicious of all men sitting on their own in cars ...

Moral of story - Be careful......

Some good points, stay safe everyone

xx