Born and raised in the Netherlands, Robin Hunting served in the Royal Marines and now shares the knowledge and expertise he gained during his military service equipping individuals with the know-how to maintain their personal and family safety.
“It was more like showing tricks and tips on how to get out of bad situations like domestic violence or if you really are kidnapped. Then it evolved into testing safety products,“ Mr. Hunting, 32, told the Epoch Times. ”I spent seven years in the military—two years in the Royal Army and five years in the Royal Marines. That’s where I got the observation skills and the personal safety skills. ... So some of my skills come out from there, and then a lot of research.”
In the few years that Mr. Hunting has been making the videos, he has seen his efforts pay off. A few people who were kidnapped attributed their ability to get away to the knowledge they gained from his videos.
“We had a few people that were able to get out of a chokehold from their husband that was, you know, drunk and angry and violent,” said Mr. Hunting, adding that the response is “extremely positive, I barely get any hate.”
For Mr. Hunting, this is the reason he makes the videos, and it’s worth the effort.
Safety Guidelines for Protecting Kids
A common question that the 6-foot-tall, 190-pound former marine is asked is: How do you protect children in the event of a kidnapping?“In general, kids get taken for a few different reasons but the predominant one is custody battles or family disputes,” Mr. Hunting said. “When you have an Amber Alert, that’s what is really happening. So the father either took the kids out of state or the mom took the kids out of state.”
Teaching children how to be prepared can be life-saving in traumatic circumstances like this. One of the skills Mr. Hunting shared on Instagram is how to get out of the back of a car.
This critical skill doesn’t just apply to kidnapping situations.
“You know, kids also hide in cars and stuff like that … some of the reasons why these cars have these unlock buttons was because kids get in trunks,” Mr. Hunting said.
In addition to getting help as quickly as possible when things go wrong, there are general tips, guidelines, and “small things” that Mr. Hunting shares to keep children safe. One vital key to being prepared in the event of a child going missing is having their DNA on hand. Hunting says he keeps a mouth swab of each of his children in separate jars.
“In the worst event that your child gets taken, you can give [the DNA] to the police officer, so they have a head start,” Mr. Hunting said. “In any kidnapping case, the first 24 hours is the most critical because they have to get out of state or out of the country.”
Hunting also says children should have their parents’ phone numbers and addresses memorized, which is something that can be taught from a young age.
“I would say around 3, 3 ½ is when they start picking up on these things,” he said.
When going to a place or an event that has lots of people, Mr. Hunting says it’s important to show children the type of people who can help. Additionally, having children wear neon colors makes them visible in case they get lost.
In a situation where a child is approached by a stranger who makes them feel unsafe, Mr. Hunting says children should “make as much noise, make yourself loud, and make yourself big, kick, scream, or whatever.“ They can also say something ”really nasty” to effectively attract other people’s attention and to let them know that the stranger is not their parent.
Mr. Hunting reminds parents to “have a serious conversation about small things” with children when they get to about 3 years old, teaching them the difference between good touch and bad touch and what to do if someone who is not their mom or dad takes them away.
In addition, younger children shouldn’t go to school alone, someone should always drop them off and pick them up. In the United States, parents should also investigate their children’s school and make sure there is a plan in the event of an active shooter, and if they have security guards at the school.
Recommended Tools for Safety
In addition to teaching safety skills, Mr. Hunting tests and reviews safety equipment. Some of the potentially life-saving items from Amazon that he recommends are invisaWear, Lifevac, and GTFO escape bracelets.invisaWear makes smart and wearable personal safety accessories, which can be as simple as a stylish necklace, bracelet, keychain, or athletic band but with a small button—an emergency or panic button—that can be used to call for help.
Speaking of invisaWear, Hunting said, “That one is very effective because, most likely, if someone takes you, they'll probably go for your phone first. So you cannot call for help, [but invisaWear] sends out the signal in an emergency situation, and it tracks you as long as the phone is in the same vicinity. But even if they throw the phone away in a field or whatever, as long as it gets the signal out, everyone has a head start.”
In a situation where someone is choking, Mr. Hunting says the Lifevac kit is a reliable tool that can easily extract an object from a person’s airway.
In addition, the GTFO escape bracelet is made of an elastic strap fitted with a hardened striker bead that can easily break tempered glass.
Situational Awareness
Preparation is essential, but Mr. Hunting believes the best way to stay safe, whatever the circumstance, is to have situational awareness.“Be aware of your surroundings and make smart decisions about where you’re going and where you’re coming from,” he said. “What I see a lot is kids walking with their earphones in and their hoodies up. That behavior needs to go away. Because you’re not really aware of what’s going on around you, and that makes it a lot easier for someone to come extremely close to you. And even if they don’t kidnap you, you give them an opportunity to come extremely close to you. So like, be aware of where you are, what you’re doing.
“We can make smart decisions not to try to be in those situations. Choose wisely.”
