Girl on a Auckland Train
Caution - This blog deals with issues of predatory attack. Sadly its a true story, but there is positivity if you read on
A trip on an Auckland train changed a young women’s life forever. It was a trip that had been taken hundreds of time without incident. Yet, on this day, circumstances did change.
Everyone has the right to get home safely, but sadly we live in a world, in a country, in a city that has hate, discrimination and violence. There is risk and sadly this risk is greater for women. That’s a sad confronting reality.
NZ has statistics of random violence (stranger) and known violence (domestic and non stranger) that no government, community, whanau can be proud of.
This is a story that repeats itself every week in this country. Circumstances change slightly but the end state is the same, another stranger attack on young women.
At a bar, at a music festival, on public transport, in a park or on a street. Same story, different circumstances with different outcomes yes, but the same story none the less.
This story starts on an Auckland Train.
Responsibility
Responsibility for the attack sits solely with the offender. No denying this fact. They are responsible and through a justice system accountable. Through the lens of a victim though that accountability doesn’t always appear just. Thats another story however.
But what of personal responsibility, is there any?.
In terms of the attack occuring no. That sits with the predatory creep who committed the attack. But what about in terms of taking a level of personal responsibility for our personal safety, security and well being - at work, in travel, in life.
I think the answer to this is yes - and so does the woman who is central to this story. Noreen is our QRisk Training ambassador. Through her story the importance of having an engaged and appropriate level of situational awareness is told. It’s why we say that Situational Awareness is the single greatest skill you can acquire for your personal safety and security.
The Story
The short version of the story goes like this.
Noreen boarded her train to head home in West Auckland after another day at work in the city. Nothing remarkable in that, just another day with another trip home on the train.
The train carries a snap shot of any Auckland community. Different people heading west for a bunch of different reasons. Today, on this train though, was a predator. Who knows what flicked his switch that day - a premeditated or random attack, what does it matter. He was on the train, surveying, like a hyena on a hunt, he is deliberate in the search for his prey.
Noreen saw him as he brushed past. Her gut feel wasn’t pleasant. If she was to describe the feeling it would be “he gave me the creeps”, but she let the feeling and any further notice of him pass. After all its not right to judge, is it ?
That gut feeling would be the first risk flag that Noreen didn’t pay attention to. There would be a bunch of others, but they too were ignored. They were visible, they were there and they were real.
He followed a prescribed attack methodology. Most random attacks do. He had identified his victim, its just that Noreen didn’t know it yet. Identify, with phase one complete he probably even allowed a sinister sneer to creep across his face.
Exiting the train at her West Auckland stop, Noreen started to think of getting home, only a short walk to go as she turned left down a dimly lit pathway.
The next phases of the attack would come in quick succession. Subdue, exhaust and assault. It’s here where Noreen flicked a light switch, she went into survival mode. Fight, scratch claw, scream were the tactics, her innate fight or flight syndrome was going into overdrive. This preadoty hyena wouldn’t get his prey on this night. He ended up scurrying away, wounded, bleeding and soon running from the law.
The Learning
The greatest learning to come from this all to regular story is that the survival instinct exist. Its in all of us, but it is a choice. Turn in on in a moment of potential life or death or not. It’s a choice. The predator hoped that she wouldn’t - Wrong, bad call on your part.
The other learnings are more learnt - its around situational awareness. How to be more in the moment, identify risk flag indicators and know what to do with them when they appear.
It’s about developing situational awareness as a life skill - and its this message that Noreen is keen to share. Learn through story - her story.
It’s why Noreen is our training ambassador and is available to help share the message through keynote and training presentations.
Situational Awareness Training - It’s a life skill
Situational Awareness is not a myth or a new training buzzword. It is very real, and an absence of situational awareness can reveal itself in many situations where we have an element of control but don’t grab it. We don’t take that control. Commonly we can see this in workplace accidents, but it is equally relevant, in travel, social scene’s, driving and more broadly in life.
Every person needs a sufficient and engaged level of Situational Awareness. It’s value as a life skill is not gender-specific, nor is it contingent on your stature or location. Think of those past occasions where you changed a course of action because you had a “gut feeling” that something was about to happen, or those times when you got caught out because you “didn’t see that coming.” All of those are raw examples of situational awareness in play.
Risk exists - in any given vocation, lifestyle and occupation. At any given time of day or circumstance, at work, home, in travel, in life, it is absolutely appropriate to engage the right level of situational awareness. That’s why its a life skill.
QRisk Situational Awareness Training - For Everyone
Situational Awareness Training is QRisk’s foundational module. It is central to all our courses and keynote presentations. This corner stone is underpinned by our message that, “Situational Awareness is the greatest skill you can acquire for your personal safety and security, nothing is more important, at work, in travel , in life.
We have a complete suite of situational awareness courses, from online to bespoke face to face delivery. Courses suited to private groups, school groups and every workplace industry.
We have been delivering these courses within NZ and abroad - our feedback speaks for itself
“The feedback we had from our team was phenomenal. Aside from the skills and situational awareness they gained, they were blown away that we as a company cared enough about their personal safety to make such an investment.” Amy Buller - People Leader
Contact us today and lets start a conversation around putting together some life skills training for your people.