What you shouldn’t do when confronted by robbers

**A man is seen fighting off two attackers.** [Screen grab]

A video clip doing the rounds on the interwebs recently has been the talk of town.

A man and a lady, while approaching their house, alleged to be in Nairobi’s Roysambu area, are suddenly attacked by two other men from behind.

In the 23-second-clip, they both notice they are being followed and the lady quickly opens the door to their house, while the man springs into karate-like action. Luckily, they escape unhurt.

Security expert Andrew Franklin, however, advises not to get into a fight with robbers.

“A robber coming to mug you is already prepared. What you don’t want to do is to get into a fight,” Franklin says.

He, instead, advises that upon sensing danger, your fastest and safest option would be to run in the opposite direction.

Franklin, a former marine, also advises people not to resist the robber’s demands. “Give up your possessions, but immediately raise the alarm.”

He adds that people should not carry valuables with them all the time to minimise the damage in case of theft.

“Don’t carry more than you need. You do not want to escalate the situation,” he says, adding that one should also aim to have an insurance policy for their valuables.

Data from Statista shows that there were at least 8,709 cases of theft reported in the country in 2020, and over 69,000 reported crimes in the same year.

Criminology statistics have over time also indicated that women are more likely to get robbed than men and that men commit more criminal acts than women.

For these reasons, security experts advise people especially women not to travel or walk alone, and to walk in well-lit areas (situational awareness).

“You are at your most vulnerable when in a matatu or a taxi,” Franklin explains, adding: “Remember who and where you are in the street.”

“If you suspect that somebody is following you, experts advise that you walk into the nearest store/shop, keeping in mind that you might get robbed during the day too.

Franklin further urges people to maintain keen concentration at all times. “Most thieves operate in groups, and by the time you notice, you may have already lost your essentials.”

An online publication from the University of Southern California advises that in case of a robbery;