My girlfriend almost got robbed by a crack head at around 7:30am (broad daylight) at the Mt Gravatt bus stop.
The assailant asked her to get her phone out multiple times and became aggressive when she did not. Luckily the bus arrived at this moment and she was able to run onto it, whilst they were trying to grab her bag.
I've done some research into what you can do if this happens. It seems like you are not allowed to carry anything with the intent to use in self defence (aka as a weapon of any kind). This includes something like pepper spray, or even a self defence keychain.
So my question is: what is a girl suppose to do if they are getting robbed/assaulted in broad daylight by someone bigger than them?
To be honest it seems like they're allowed to fight back, just not using a weapon of any kind. Some very smart people on other reddits like r/Auslegal suggest using Lynx body spray or a disinfectant spray as an alternative to pepper spray. This is really smart and they obviously thought very hard about their answer before posting it.
Others suggested learning a martial art. But to be honest, even if you've learnt bjj – if some guy who is twice your size punches you in the face, you're not going to be able to do much.
Seems to me the QLD government will allow a girl to try fight back, maybe with a book or their keys (just as long as its not considered a weapon, so self defence keychains are also not allowed). Which to an aggressive junky, I think will not work. And when the inevitable self defence fails, a girl can report it to the police, after being assaulted.
That or they can try to run away, which is hard to do when you're sitting down and they're right in front of you, ready to grab you. (Also this means women are just reliant on other men to protect them.)
I feel like we should change the laws in QLD surrounding the possession of pepper spray.
Obviously if you had pepper spray, and used it on someone for no good reason, then that would still be assault, however I don't think it should be illegal to possess and use in self defence situations.
In QLD, pepper spray is classified as a prohibited weapon, making it illegal to carry for self-defence. In Queensland, under section 50(1) of the Weapons Act 1990, the harshest punishment for the use or possession of pepper spray is a 7-year jail term or 300 penalty units. – source
This is a bit harsh.
Anyways, what are your thoughts on this r/Brisbane?
Posted by anontom101
30 Comments
“So my question is: what is a girl suppose to do if they are getting robbed/assaulted in broad daylight by someone bigger than them?”
Get robbed. There are more important things in life than your possessions.
The best option is always to give in, or run. As much as defending yourself with (or without) a weapon sounds like a great idea, the moment you escalate the situation you are putting yourself at a higher risk of serious harm. Don’t pull a knife out if you aren’t ready and willing to use it.
Scream. Loud and for as long as possible. Run into a store/house/anywhere.
The thing about “weapons” is they’re likely to be taken from you and used on you.
If she’s genuinely concerned then I’d recommend Krav Maga. But the instructors will tell you the same thing, it will give her some confidence though.
As someone whose be stood over, beaten, robbed and raped I can tell you talking people down from hyper aggressive states is not always possible. I believe instrumental violence harms everyone involved and spreads like a disease.
It’s not fair, it sucks, I’m sorry. Best thing you can learn how to do is pay attention to your intuition /that feeling in your gut. Spidey senses. And Run. Get fkn good at running. Also pocket sand.
To clarify something you said; you are allowed to use a weapon to defend yourself, such as a knife. It’s just that you will get in trouble if you had the knife for the purpose of self defence. If you had it because you just purchased it at a store, or work as a cook and are transporting it to work then it’s fine to use. Normal self defense rules still apply in that situation though, such as use of equal or lesser force.
Which Mt Gravatt bus stop was this out of curiosity? Was it a busway one with people around? If so I thing the best think you could do is call out for help.
I appreciate that’s not overly useful, but using any form of weapon or violence against a meth head is going to end very badly. Fully trained police officers usually struggle to restrain them as they don’t feel things the normal way when in that state, so pain isn’t often a good deterrent.
Also, did she report this to the police? Our best hope is to make it known to stop it in the future
Australian self defence laws would rather see you harmed than the aggressor. It’s a fking joke.
you can just buy pepper spray online from WA, they still ship to brisbane
you would not get the harshest punishment for self defence, that would be for criminals using it offensively
the main argument against it is that criminals will use it too, but criminals don’t care what’s legal or not, would you prefer getting stabbed instead?
The issue with running and screaming is you have to be faster. Fear often isn’t faster when you’re being chased down by someone who needs their fix.
I watched a YouTube video and made my own pepper spray because I wasn’t a take flight person in my youth I was a fight person and put more than one person in the hospital growing up around addicts.
I’m not proud of it. It was purely to survive.
I have children now, and being raised with my skill set, pepper spray is the safest option for an assailant to remain standing.
It might not be legal, but I doubt a jury of my peers is going to send me down for pepper spray when the alternative would be catastrophic.
Sorry to hear this happened to you; it’s a very confronting experience. All things considered, I think your friend made the best choice in quickly removing herself from the situation.
First, let’s be realistic about “self defence”. If someone is bigger than you, or even crazily motivated to attack you, then fighting back only has a marginal chance of success. Fighting is literally only useful as a last resort, when you or people with you are facing physical harm. Even police have been attacked and badly injured after deploying pepper spray, tasers, and even shooting perpetrators. The best thing to do is to remove yourself from the situation and go somewhere with more people around. You can also use deterrents like loudly telling the person to leave you alone, and activating a personal alarm (legal to carry). While you can carry things like deodorant, that would again be a last resort to buy yourself time to escape. It’s not 100% effective and if you used it too early then you could easily piss off your attacker and escalate the situation.
Second, it’s not the movies – escalating to a physical confrontation often means you get hurt badly, and/or you can face criminal charges for injuring the other person. I know the latter sounds silly, but if you pepper sprayed or punched someone who was “acting creepy”, then the law wouldn’t be on your side.
Third, drugs make things worse. Someone under the influence may not feel or respond to pain in the same way as a normal person. For example, you really don’t want to find out what someone in a meth or ice frenzy is capable of.
Comply and give your possessions if it’s a robbery.
If it’s SA or kidnapping, flee, scream, or defend.
Other comments mentions that having a knife or pepper spray will only escalate the situation. I agree, but who doesn’t care about the law and already have a knife or the intention to rob/beat you up? Criminals.
Laws will only change if a crime affects a politician’s dog.
It’s messed up out there, i mean, recently Taiwanese tourists were beaten up because they existed near some bogan/eshays.
A personal alarm. They are as loud as hell. Better than screaming.
Call the police if you can and hope when seconds count they are not minutes away. The best advice is to run and be as loud as possible while trying to get to a much more populated area with people around, the more attention you draw to yourself the less likely the attacker will continue once they know attention has been drawn to them.
Just carry the damn pepper spray.
I doubt the crackhead would run to the cops and report the incident, even if he did, I’d rather fight the charge than fight the crackhead.
Can you still buy oven cleaner in a pressure pack can? “I was only taking it home to clean the oven, officer.”
Jiu Jitsu will have her ready and confident enough to not panic, and shouldn’t take long to build that confidence if done right. Started out daughter a month ago and can already see positive change.
Don’t be afraid to be LOUD is no 1. While pepper spray is illegal, can you just carry any other aerosol that would likely cause distress? If it is some degenerate crackhead, I’m sure many cops would overlook your self-defence and junkies usually don’t think to make a legal defence.
She could get really into fishing or baseball and so happen to have a fishing knife or baseball bat with her
Just give it up. Do you really want to fight some crackhead for something you can just buy another of?
If they just want your wallet, chuck your wallet and run in the other direction. I am a small framed woman, I get it, there are times when I’ve felt unsafe and I would GREATLY enjoy not feeling like I’d be overpowered by basically anyone I pass on the street. That is however not the case and I don’t think weapons (improvised or otherwise) or any martial arts training is going to change that, it’s only going to increase my chances of getting hurt. Plus, anything I can learn or carry on me, so can they and that just increases the disparity.
I’ve never been pepper sprayed but especially if someone is in some kind of psychosis, it’s not going to drop them, it’s going to infuriate them. Maybe I can get away while they can’t see, maybe I just get the shit beaten out of me instead of getting my wallet stolen.
100% agree with this. Pepper spray must be deregulated.
Yell ESSSHHHAAAAYYYYYYY
Rules in Qld and overall in Australia are bullshit. Law makers must be drunk while making rules
Whatever gov is in charge should have better security at Garden City station. And sadly they won’t until someone gets stabbed or shot.
I would recommend against pepper spray, it can be taken off you and used against you. A personal alarm might be an option.
Unfortunately, the only real thing to do if you are not confident in your own strength/ability, and you fear for your personal safety, is run away or comply.
Learning self-defense and/or a martial art may help to boost your self-confidence and give you skills to defend yourself.
But if the assailant has a weapon like a knife, the worst thing you can do is escalate and aggravate them, it will just make them more likely to use it on you.
Things like pepper spray, telescopic batons etc are restricted weapons and require a license to carry.
You can always apply for a license for one of these for self defense through the QLD Police, whether you will be granted that license or not…….
Rather than learning martial arts, it is probably better to learn empowerment based self-defense, which is more to do with reducing the risks and making better decisions rather than emphasizing on physical self-defense. There is no better strategy for avoiding danger than prevention, but it is sad to have to think this way about many societal issues that we don’t have effective solutions for.
So how is your GF going to protect herself from the assailant who is now legally carrying pepper spray?
A better solution would be for her to carry a personal safety alarm. These emit an ear shattering noise that scares off an attacker or attracts attention from passers by.
[https://trailsurvivor.com.au/products/self-defence-alarm?srsltid=AfmBOorCmjoPp0mc3o-_6Y8T8E09cBjS7YUAlqUOaYGyGjmpc8rYiDA9](https://trailsurvivor.com.au/products/self-defence-alarm?srsltid=AfmBOorCmjoPp0mc3o-_6Y8T8E09cBjS7YUAlqUOaYGyGjmpc8rYiDA9)
Phones can be replaced. People can’t.
First line of defence is to run away. Failing that, a small aerosol can of body spray or perfume in your handbag or pocket will do the job of pepper spray.
I’ve thankfully never been attacked in Brisbane but when I had to catch a late train home from Southbank at a previous job, I’d hang on to either my keys between my fingers, or my heavy metal waterbottle while walking.