Acorn

Notes

Issue No.

3

May

2006

Insisting on safe work practices and

enhancing abilities to work face to face with foreign partners are critical

elemen

ts of business success for in

ternational

industry today. Yet we often dedicate too little tim

e and attention to

managing

our personal safety while traveling and working overseas

. As the amount of travel to potentially

dangerous locations persists, and as t

he extent of violent crime in some of t

hese areas increases, we

need

to

continually

sharpen

our abilities to minimize and mitigate the risk of

crime on the road.

This edition of AcornNotes provides a selection of travel

-

related crime prevention and mitiga

tion tips, from various

sourc

es, that I have found to be

most us

eful

during nearly 20 years of extensive travel in developing countries.

Many of you have your own travel and security departments that provide

safe travel advisories

. The infor

mation

that f

ollows

is not intended to be, and should not be, used as a substitute for that qualified advice.

While sources

of each tip are refer

enced, none of the tips have been verified by qualified independent sources.

Rather, these

are

simply the top

-

ten

tips

fro

m referenced sources

that I have personally found to be useful

or sensible

while

traveling and working overseas.

A. Most

Useful

Tips for Minimizing the Risk of Crime

1.

Air travel

–

Do not discuss

specific

travel plans with strangers (e.g., the person sittin

g next to you on a plane.

2.

Air travel

–

While waiting in airports, try to avoid crowds. Sit in a restaurant with a clear view of the entrance

and easy access to an escape route.

3.

Air travel

–

Dress conservatively, avoid bringing expensive luggage and jewelr

y.

4.

In the hotel

–

Allow the bell hop to take your bags to the room

–

w

h

ile there, ask him to inspect for any signs

of intrusion and make sure the deadbolt on the door functions properly.

5.

In the hotel

–

Try to select a room on

floors 3

-

5

. (Floors 1 and 2 ar

e more often

targeted by thieves and floors

6

and higher could be more difficult to escape

or access by fire fighters

.)

6.

On the street

–

Learn about

your

surroundings, ask a reliable source

(and confirm) about

directions and what

threats may exist before wa

lking from office or hotel

7.

On the street

–

Walk with confidence and purpose

–

do not attract attention

.

8.

In taxis

–

T

ake

only

authorized taxis from a hotel or known taxi dispatching service. Note the taxi number and

have a bellhop or known dispatcher recor

d the number.

9.

In taxis

–

Always carry a working cell phone. After entering the taxi, call your local office or hotel to report the

taxi number. If the phone does not work or the call does not connect, fake the call.

10.

On the street and in cars

–

Vary your

route

when taking repeat trips (for example from hotel to office.)

B.

Most

Useful

Tips for Managing the Risk of Crime

1.

Before leaving home

–

C

opy

the

first page of your passport

and tickets/reservations

–

leave one copy at

home with a family member and car

ry a second copy in your luggage. (This will help you obtain a

replacement passport if needed.)

2.

Before leaving home

–

Prepare a list of telephone numbers and addresses of the places you plan to visit.

Carry this on your person and leave a copy at home wit

h a family member.

3.

Before leaving home

–

Carry only one credit card plus about $100 cash in your wallet.

4.

Before leaving home

–

Do not carry personal business cards, PIN numbers, or family photos in your wallet.

5.

In

the hotel and other facilities

–

Always

check the location of fire exits and escape routes

6.

In cars

–

If assaulted while in or opening your car, raise your hands, look down (avoid looking directly into the

eyes of an assailant) and listen carefully to what he/she is demanding.

7.

In cars

–

In the sa

me case, allow assailant to take the car

–

negotiate that they can have your car, wallet,

valuables, but to allow you to stay out of the car

8.

In the event of an assault

-

Always be clear and slow with movements, and keep your hands in plain view. Tell

the a

ssailant what you are going to do (for example, “I have my wallet in the bag and am going to take it out.")

9.

In the event of an assault

–

Try to keep assailant calm (for example, repeat: “Stay calm

–

I will do what you

tell me to do.")

10.

In traffic

-

Keep a

t least ½ car length back from the car in front of you if stopped in traffic so that you can

escape or create a collision if needed to frustrate an assault.

Again, check with your company travel/security office for qualified and

up

-

to

-

date advice

. Safe tr

avels!