Concepts & Principles

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 29th Jul 2024

There is a difference between a principle and a concept, in the same way that there is a difference between a law/rule and an idea. Rules and laws can define something and create “absolutes” whereas concepts can simply/only guide and direct an approach/method to dealing with something. There are those that see Krav Maga as a “system” based on rigid principles; a complex mathematical equation that works according to a set of immutable – unchanging – rules and laws e.g., you should always control a weapon, you should always perform a simultaneous strike/punch when you block, you should never go...Click To Read More

How Safety Tips Disarm Us

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 22nd Jul 2024

Most people have not experienced violence firsthand. Most people don’t know someone who has been the target of a violent assault. So, when it comes to “imagining” what violence actually looks like, people have to go to other sources. News media is one. However, what is “newsworthy” isn’t the mundane or the ordinary, it’s the exceptional. This means when we hear of an abduction, and/or a news agency puts out CCTV footage of someone being dragged into a van etc., it’s because such events aren’t common. Also, because it elicits an emotional response, and plays to some of our darkest...Click To Read More

The Motivators & Motivations Behind Street Robberies

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 15th Jul 2024

Whilst street robberies or muggings may seem simple “transactional” affairs, where one individual demands assets e.g., possessions such as a mobile phone and/or cash, from another by force or the threat of force, they are actually much more complex events. As with any act of violence, street robberies consist of three core components:

1. Location
2. Relationship
3. Motive

That is, the space and time where the offense takes place, the relationship that the offender has with their target, and the motivating factors that both drive them to commit such offenses overall, and in a specific instance e.g., someone who regularly engages in street robberies, and is...Click To Read More

Alone in the woods with a man or a bear?

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 8th Jul 2024

A couple of months back a Tik Tok video went viral, that featured women being asked if they’d rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear, with many choosing a bear rather than a man. Obviously, the video was intended to be provocative, in order to start a debate/discussion concerning violence and sexual violence against women, and unsurprisingly many people – in all likelihood mostly men – took exception to it. Whilst, the video offers a good starting point, concerning female perceptions of sexual violence, it is hardly scientific in its approach, and so lacks a...Click To Read More

Victimology – Sex Workers

Gershon Ben Keren

Mon 1st Jul 2024

In last week’s article (click here to access), I looked at using geographical profiling as a means to help limit the potential number of suspects, who could have been Jack the Ripper – an unidentified serial killer who targeted women in the Whitechapel area of London in the late 19th century; a “cold case” that has been the obsession of the media and amateur sleuths for decades. In this article I want to look at the “victimology” concerning his offenses i.e., who did he target and why etc. Specifically, I want to look at why sex workers are often targeted...Click To Read More