Volyn police officers teach Lutsk residents self-defense. To this end, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs sports club together with the "Dynamo" sports society organized a hand-to-hand combat section. Law enforcement officers aim to kill two birds with one stone – to reduce the number of robbery victims and to increase the clearance rate of their attacks. 40-year-old Oksana was one of the first to come to the hand-to-hand combat section. The woman says she is glad for the opportunity to learn to defend herself, since she has learned from her own experience that those seeking easy gain look primarily for the weak. Two years ago, not far from home, robbers attacked her and her daughter. Then Oksana realized how important it is to be able to protect yourself: "The section is quite necessary for people, and maybe if people knew how to better protect themselves in such situations, there would be fewer robbers. I was robbed – I saw that the attacker was weaker than me, but in that situation I did not know how to defend myself, how to protect myself."
Most of those who attend the section are men who intend to bring their children to the classes as well, because they believe such a skill is necessary for life. Says one of the class participants: "Few people attack the elderly, but they may attack the young. It is best to keep your hands in your pockets and keep some crumbs there: either tobacco or sand. If you already see that they want to beat you – you need to throw it in his eyes. Grab him, and then hit him or run away."
Petro Pantik, a trainer in combat service training at the Lutsk city department of internal affairs, said: to deal with an attacker, it is enough to know the basics, and also to be confident in yourself: "You should not pretend that you are afraid and run away. Behave calmly in such a situation, you need to be very restrained, along the way go into a place where there is a larger crowd of people. It could be a store, a bar – it doesn't matter. It is advisable to carry a gas canister in your bag: they are now sold freely (no permit needed). You can use deodorant as an improvised means, perfume can also work. It doesn't matter. An umbrella can also help a lot in such a situation as an improvised means."
Now, according to the trainer, girls are also coming to the section. At the same time, age does not matter. Anyone can be taught, believes Petro Pantik, as long as there is a desire. He, for example, advises his students to use a bunch of keys against attackers: if you place a key between the fingers of your hand – you get a weapon that will help fight off robbers