How safe are we in Lincoln?

When you’re walking alone at night, what is the first thing you think of? Is it the door slamming shut down the road? Reverberating down the entire street in the dead silence. Is it the orange glow of the street lamps casting an eerie spotlight in the cold darkness? Or maybe it’s the silhouetted figure slowly coming towards you.

In January alone, 81 cases of violent acts and sexual assault were reported to the police in Lincoln city centre https://www.police.uk/lincolnshire/NC14/crime/stats/

When you’re dancing in a club, what is the first thing you think of? Is it the thud, thud, thud of the bass you feel in your chest? The pungent combination of alcohol and sweat paraded around the dance floor. Or is it the angry drunk who you bumped into and whose fist is now coming at you?

When you’re in the middle of a fight, what is the first thing you think of? Is it the vein pulsating in your attacker’s forehead? Or perhaps it’s the light fading as you topple to the floor, realising that if you had only blocked your knock out points, this could have ended very differently.

But of course you don’t know how to block them – that is, unless you’re one of the increasing number of women who have signed up for a new self defence course in Lincoln.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPGx-WsXLnw

 

Defence Lab is a self-defence and combat training organisation which runs classes for anyone wanting to lean basic defence and martial arts. They have teamed up with the University of Lincoln Students’ Union to teach a series of classes to students who want to feel safer. The first class was a big success, with 25 attendees.

The University of Lincoln Students Union said: “Here at the SU we are looking more widely into how to make Lincoln a safer place for students to live, and these self-defence classes are a small part of that. We want to try and ensure that, even in the worst-case scenarios, our students are aware of some methods to defend and protect themselves.”

“The original idea came from a suggestion from one of our students. We have recognised the need to support our students in life skills as well as employability skills.”

“Safety out and about in Lincoln is a hot topic at the moment, with a Facebook page called ‘Lincoln Girl Gang’ being set up to enable girls to walk places together when it is dark and unsafe. Although it is upsetting that our students are having to go to these lengths to stay safe, we would much rather equip them with techniques and methods to protect themselves.”

The next self defence session will be held on the 5th of December in the Engine Shed platform and tickets are £3 from the SU reception, more details will be published on https://lincolnsu.com/home closer to the time.

Exit mobile version