PRESS RELEASE – Crime Prevention Tips is a production of the Press Office of the Royal St Lucia Police Force.
Crime prevention means being aware of your environment and remaining alert to situations that could make you vulnerable to crime. We cannot list specific measures that will protect you from every threatening situation, which may arise.
Instead, we hope to teach you how to think “Crime Prevention” in day-to-day living
“Rape”
Rapists are not always strangers or anonymous attackers. When someone you know – a date, steady boyfriend, casual friend or partner – forces you to have sex it is rape.
According to section 123 of the Criminal Code of Saint Lucia 2008
1) Any person who has sexual intercourse with another—
(a) without the consent of that other; or
(b) without believing that the other consents to such intercourse or is reckless as to whether the other person consents or not, commits the offence of rape
Here are some tips which can lessen your chance of being raped.
- Do not let alcohol or other drugs decrease or interfere with your ability to take care of yourself and make sensible decisions.
- Do not accept beverages from someone you don’t know and trust and even if it is from someone you know, always watch your drink and never leave it unattended, at any time.
- Follow your instincts. If a place or the way your date acts makes you nervous or uneasy, get out. If you need to call a friend to escort you home, don’t hesitate to do so.
- Do a background check on a first date or a blind date with friends or family. Meet in and go to public places.
- Don’t leave a social event with someone you have just met or don’t know well.
- Make use of technology; send details about your date or details about their vehicle to a friend via your smartphone. Sending a picture of your date or their vehicle would really assist with investigations if you do become a victim of rape.
- Ensure you have enough cash to call a taxi, or, better yet, if you own one, take your own car.
- Don’t accept ride from strangers and if you do accept a ride from anyone, communicate their description and vehicle description to another individual using your phone.
- When alone at home, always ensure your entry doors are closed and locked.
- When responding to a knock or call to your door, ensure that the individual is known to you before opening and if you are not sure, call the police.
- Entry doors should be fitted with devices which can allow you to see the outside without opening the door (a door scope or peep hole).
- Enroll in self-defense classes.
- Employers should have regular briefings with their female staff concerning safety in travelling to and from work.
The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force will do all in its power to investigate and bring to justice, these perpetrators of rape.
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