To half wish pepper spray was allowed in the UK?

[Thisnamechanger]

I live in North London. I love it but I'm so fed up of being constantly on edge when I have to get home alone at night. While walking the 5 mins from my bus stop at 11pm last night not one but two creeps managed to intimidate me, trying to get me to talk to them and blocking my path when there was no one else around. It seems to be constant in London. Every time you have to take a night bus alone there will almost always be some creep on the bus or the walk back who will try and talk to you and get in your personal space. DP showed me some paint spray things that are apparently legal. Rape alarms I feel like everyone would ignore in London because they're always going off. By the way I'm totally not suggesting I'd ever mace anyone just for trying to talk to me! It's just you can never tell which are harmless and which would actually hurt you. Anyone have and personal security devices that they recommend?

No it isn't black and white.

But it is stupid to suggest to carry illegal pepper spray or make your own pepper spray as that would be breaking the law and highly dangerous.

There's a reason they're illegal and that's because they're dangerous.

Of course I don't want people to be raped or assaulted but I also don't want to see people carrying around a weapon and using it against people.

same reason you shouldnt carry a knife.

cities are shitholes at night but ears free of the brickphone, bloodstream free of excessive booze and fit for purpose shoes gives you more of a chancd of escape.

No doubt that’s true but you could say exactly the same thing about Class A drugs or guns. Should we just legalise them because criminals will get them anyway? I don’t want to walk down the street knowing anyone could legally carry it.
It’s actually a much more effective offensive weapon than defensive. In most defensive situations it’s used in a hurry and at close quarters and the person pepper sprays themselves as much as their assailant. An attacker who has premeditated their crime is likely to be more accurate and use the spray at a greater distance, avoiding spraying themselves in the process. It’s very handy for subduing victims in muggings and sexual assaults.

I would strongly reccomend taking up taekwondo. You essentially weaponise your body and there are specific classes aimed at female self defence that teach you how to avoid dangerous situations (this that you may not expect to put you at risk of an attack are actually things that rapists look for when choosing a victim like talking on your phone) as well as teaching you what you can do to defend yourself without falling foul of the law. Much more effective than pepper spray, hood for you too.

Yup, a travel hairspray would work well x

You can by mace as a spice, also chilli powder could work well 🤷🏼‍♀️

we will just have to agree to disagree. there are laws that i dont agree with and this is one of them.

i think some people feel it is the only option for them to feel safe, especially if you have been a victim of a random attack or sexual assault. im not going to lecture a grown adult on its legal status.

I live in the USA, I carry a handgun in my handbag on a daily basis (Ruger SR9C) I have pepper spray too, DH also got me some blunt stabby object too.

I feel much safer with them and I am competent in there use. When I was living in England I felt especially vulnerable.

Oh Christ you carry a gun!
One way to feel safer would be to get rid of all guns but I know that won't happen

Get the red slime face spray instead

Totally legal

@Train101

We will just have to agree to disagree on that one, as I am firmly in the other camp.

That's fine

With pepper spray/mace I would just worry that it would enrage the attacker and they would hurt me even more than they were going to. I’d be too scared to use it.

oh i have to agree with you train guns kill people, AFAIK pepper spray is used only to harm temporarily

Suzy Lamplugh personal safety courses are supposed to be v v good. Mind you, I still carry my keys in my jacket pocket, between fingers, when in dodgy areas....

@esk1mo. Yay we agree on guns .

A police officer once told me to take a can of hairspray out with me as it stings like shit in the eyes

Guns?! No no no no no no no no no!!!!!

Eh I agree with you, and I’m a lawyer!

I’ve been tempted to try and bring some back from the states, but moral conscience and a fear of being struck off has so far prevented me.

I was attacked a couple of years ago and I work in a slightly dodgy area so I feel like i need it. Instead I just keep my hand on my deodorant can late at night - apparently it stings like a bitch in the eyes!

special what is brickphone? I had my audiobook on, I'd had two glasses of beer and had flip-flops on. I can't always predict when I'll need to get home on my own and pack running shoes!

I'd rather be attacked with pepper spray than with a knife so I'd far rather that was what people carried about if they felt they needed to.

While they are not the same thing, I have had tear gas used on me and it does not do lasting damage: what it does do is create a very strong desire to get away and stop breathing it. Which of course is its purpose and it does that very well.

train common ground

fyi those who carry keys between fingers, i read its safer to do so in a fist, rather than between fingers as it can end up causing you more damage.

I live in the USA, I carry a handgun in my handbag on a daily basis (Ruger SR9C) I have pepper spray too, DH also got me some blunt stabby object

How in the hell does that make you feel safer? Everybody carry a gun in their handbag they can pull out, as well as pepper spray and a stabby object!

Sounds like the very definition of a terrible way to live.

Look at what happened in the Tour de France yesterday. I'm sure you can find footage by Googling. A gendarme sprayed some at a protestor.

Well, that's what he tried to do. He actually sprayed it into the wind. It went straight back into his face; then right into the path of the peloton. It clearly disseminated some distance - lots of riders were affected. They had to stop the race so the riders could wash their eyes out and wait for the effects to wear off.

That happened when used by a supposedly trained user. And you want to put it in the hands of anyone on the street? Just no.

I'm kind of with you OP. British policy seems to be to ban any weapons that might be useful for self-defence because they would be equally useful for criminal violence. Yet when unarmed, physical strength wins, which usually means men win. The physically weak, the infirm, the vulnerable don't stand a chance of protecting ourselves when the government denies us the tools we might use for that. And unlike unlike guns or knives, mace/pepper spray is not likely to kill or even cause lasting injury.