RFP Staff
♦ It’s that time of the year again in a city getting drubbed by crime. Salisbury’s criminal element is out in force not only in Downtown Salisbury, but in its many communities to take advantage of seniors, women, the less physically able, and those alone on foot. It is during the Holiday season when a dramatic upswing in purse snatchings, street assaults, ATM stick ups, car jackings, and armed robberies takes place. Salisbury, besides having a record number of unsolved murders and a skeletal poorly paid police force, is a petty crime paradise for people living on the streets of Salisbury.
Already in the last two weeks purse snatchings, strong arm robberies, and street beatings have shown up on police reports. Now that the holiday shopping season is upon us, the streets, parking lots, and supermarkets are jamming with purse snatchers, outdoor ATM Stick up artists and strong arm robbers ready to separate you from cash and credit cards. Gold chains and gold teeth ornamentation are prizes to be taken from someone laying stretched out cold in a parking lot from a sucker punch artist or on one of Downtown Salisbury’s side streets. Good luck to the unwary and the careless.
It is advised if you come Downtown, remain alert and aware of your surroundings, come armed, do not walk on side streets and avoid parking lots by banks. Use a bank to withdraw cash and avoid banking at outdoor ATMs during the holidays. These are magnets for bad hombres. If you do banking, never bank alone.
Car lots are especially prime targets for carjackers or people armed with a knife or rock.
Large chain stores in Salisbury are problematic even though they have security and loss prevention. Rarely will they physically intercede if a crime is in progress. Local stores also offer no protection for a crime in progress…unless the owner has a concealed carry permit.
Never tote a handbag in public during the holiday shopping season. Find some secure method for secreting your cash on your person. Keep pickpockets in mind in hiding your cash.
Do not respond to panhandlers as they might want something more than a handout. Most street muggings start with a seemingly innocent plea for money before a sucker punch mashes into a victim’s face followed by a brutal stomping.
The Basics of Protecting Yourself Against Purse Snatchers:
Leave your purse at home. Carry only necessary cash and an ID on your person where it will be hard to locate when a criminal is rifling your pockets. Bring ONLY what you need. They’ll want your cellphone and jewelry.
Walk in busy well-lit areas. Victims are often targeted in dark isolated places. Bring a friend. Avoid public restrooms as they are stalking grounds in many Salisbury chain stores, supermarkets, and restaurants.
Seniors best avoid going out after dark unless they are accompanied.
If you brought a handbag or purse with you and you get into it with a purse snatcher, don’t fight to retain the pocketbook or purse. Many of these bad actors carry knives, box cutters, or brass knuckles and they will not hesitate to use them. People have been seriously injured or worse trying to defend pocketbooks and purses. You are better off screaming or better still get a concealed carry permit and training and use it if attacked.
Never leave a pocket book unattended in public. It’s an invitation to be snatched.
