Police Carnival tips

THE Community Policing Secretariat has issued a number of guidelines for persons during this Carnival period. The police is advising that persons should party in groups rather than alone, and to avoid lonely spots.

Some of the tips are as follows.
If you are held up: Do not panic, try to stay calm; do not resist your attacker/s; be alert and notice what is happening; look for peculiar features of your attacker/s; if you are threatened with a weapon, your chance of disarming your attacker/s is small. So try to think ahead of time what you will do under certain circumstances.

In case of Rape: Report it to the nearest police station; if possible leave a mark on the attacker, a bite or scratch which aids in scientific identification of the suspect; scream if you are attacked; if your attacker has a weapon do not fight back; if your attacker is wearing a mask, in the struggle try to pull it off; try to get a good description of your attacker — height, age, race, tone of voice; do not bathe before being examined and cooperate with the medical examiner; give a written statement to the police to aid in prosecution; seek counselling and do not blame yourself.

When you are leaving home for the Carnival season, do not leave your home unattended without informing a neighbour or nearest police station; do not leave ladders and other items around the house that will make it easy for an intruder; secure all doors and windows properly; do not leave too many lights on for long periods of time to indicate that no one is home and do not have newspapers delivered on your step or in your yard if you are away for a long period.