For the last 3 years or so, I have been frequenting the Komuter every day travelling to work. Over the time, I have witnessed a plethora of activities commuters do to pass time. From the normal sleeping, reading and oogling, to being productive and do their work or exercising, maybe even flirting!
But then, there are some who take advantage of the crowd to perform felony. Pickpockets and perverts became instant oppoturnists and use the lack of personal space to their advantage.
So I’m taking this oppoturnity to share some insights on how to detect and avoid these baddies:
1. Pickpockets usually will blend nicely into the crowds once they’re in the train. So the best place to detect them is when the train is approaching the station, and when passengers are boarding.
How, you may ask? Look for the person who stands a little farther to the back and eyes the passenger in front of him/her. Usually the person’s eyes will focus on the other passenger’s waistline, since that is where most valuables are most vulnerable.
When boarding, that person will approach the victim from the back or the side, or a combination of both. So, be wary of people both behind and beside you. Once they are inside, they are invisible, and they will be gone at the next station or the one after it.
2. Perverts are harder to detect since they always have an excuse when caught. This is especially so when the train is packed to the door.
Avoidance is almost impossible unless you recognise the face of the culprit. No amount of clothing can defer a pervert, since god knows what fetish they have.
If someone does harass you sexually in the train, there are methods to stop them effectively. First, stare them straight in their eyes. Eye contacts are the most subtle way to say ‘stop rubbing your elbow against my chest please!’. Perverts are known to be scared of confrontation, although there are those who just don’t care.
If your staring only resulting in your eyes to shed tear, while he is still harassing you, then you can verbally attack him. Slowly, at first, so that in the case that the touch is genuinely accidental, both can still walk away with dignity intact.
But, in clear cut cases, such as when you have his palm caressing your butt cheek, a louder volume would be more appropriate and would cause him severe damage.
A slap is rarely necessary, but use only when you’re sure he did it.
That’s it for now. I’ll try to add some more tips to daily commuting