HATPINS & KEY-RINGS V MUGGERS?

To those expats, esp. females who do not feel safe in Polsih cities, let me pass on the following. A few years ago it became fairly common in many big American cities for women to hold onto long (5-6 inch) hatpins in one hand. In the event of an attack a swing of the arm would penetrate the attacker quite deeply in some part of his body. The sudden stab of pain and blood would disorientate the attacker, giving the woman ample time to flee to safety. Maybe women in Poland might try the same when they have to walk through dark areas at night. Pepper spray is good but you need time to reach into a handbag for teh aerosol. Unless they hold the can in one hand the whole time. As for males, one American trick is to hold one's king ring (the kind that has 5-8 keys of varying size on it) in one hand with individual keys protruding from between the clenched-fist fingers. One good punch can cause a lot of damage to the attacker's face and eyes. The big Polish latch-keys afre especially good for this purpose but shorter car keys are also OK.

Why not carry a Polish bayonet or sabre with you?lol kidding

A totally ridiculous idea. For a start you would be liable to prosecution for assault with a weapon which would likely end in conviction as you used unreasonable force (a weapon) against the attacker. Not worth it to be honest. Coming from a city that has the highest fatal stabbing rate in Europe I hae found the easiest protection from muggers is not to make yourself a victim. Stick to busy areas, always keep your wits about you, perhaps make a phone call to a friend so it is obvious you are in contact with someone. I got mugged twice, both times because I got drunk, got lost in an area i should never have been in very late at night with no people about. I made myself into a victim. It was at fault. If you appear confident in where you are going and what you are doing then you are a less likely target because it gives the impression of strength. Why would you mug someone who is confidently walking towards a certain place knowing what s/he is doing when you can mug some drunk, lost guy who can hardly string a sentence?

Thanks for the info yeah i know my idea was stupid.
Sorry about your mugging incident

The hat pin thying seems like a really bad idea - it could easily be end up being used to stab the victim during the tussle.

Where can someone find pepper spray in Kraków?

Hmm im not sure maybe try mixing pepper and water and put it in an aerosol can?That wouldnt even be a bad idea you can use it as defence and put it on your salad or food of some sort!

I do have some attack sprays kicking around somewhere (they should really be in my handbag). They spray attackers with an ink that is hard to scrub off and also coat them in a noxious smell.

Never heard of it, but maybe there are some women who do that.
I've walked plenty at night on the Northwest side of Chicago when I came here and did not have a car yet. All I met were people walking dogs...:)

I took subways at 2 or 3 am in NYC where I lived as well and besides a friendly smile from another late night rider - nothing happened.

Also, due to work I drove around midnight through "no so safe areas" and never found myself in a hint of trouble. Maybe just lucky or maybe...for a huge city like Chicago or NYC it's not really that bad as long as you are not taking your chances in some gang infested neighborhoods.

rather than a hatpin. Try an H4 pencil. You won't get arrested for carrying it, won't kill anyone with it. But I think you'll send a good message if you have to use it.

There are plenty of safer, legal options: blind your attacker with camera flash, if your mobile has it.
spray some deoderant in the eyes, if you have to.

Isn't it a bit inconvenient to be carrying hat pins around all the time? It's a bit like saying, everytime you go out you're going to be attacked. That's not true. I have been followed during the day, never mind at night but I walked into a shop and stayed there until the guy was gone. Anyway, that doesn't stop me walking or taking a bus late at night. It's about being sensible.

Besides, if I take a swing at some guy and damage him with a hatpin I'll end up in court because if I am carrying those pins "in case" I get attacked then the courts would say I planned to attack someone unless I could prove self-defence.

I would never recommend anyone to carry around any kind of weapons that could be used against you.

Talking is usually the best way to get rid of unwanted company. Second is running away and the third is crying for help.

You know the difference btw intelligent and wise people? The former finds the way to deal with the situations where the latter would never end up to:)