Personal security refers to the sense of self-discipline to protect oneself from stress, judgement, etc, and to preserve trust, individual stability, and personal safety.
Personal security is categorised into two groups and these are;
- Private personal security
- General personal security
Now, let’s delve into the world of Private personal security.
- Private personal security.
This also takes two forms, and these are;
Internal personal security.
Personal private security.
- Internal personal security.
This is more of taking measures to protect one’s emotional state, and moral inclinations, and ward off negative energy. This is where one doesn’t involve in things that may break them or make them moody. It doesn’t require any physical training as it involves only tuning the mindset or sixth sense to be able to identify “danger.” An example is an ability to identify jest and successfully ignore it.
As the saying goes, “silence is the best weapon in the face of adversity.”
- Personal private security.
This is when an individual decides to go for private or individual physical training sessions for self-defence in most cases. Training sessions here can be karate or judo training, weapon training or boxing.
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Having a skill in one of the above examples equips one for any abrupt danger which may arise. In other words, it’s preparation for future danger. Usually, individuals who go for private physical training keep it to themselves as their personal secret.
- General personal security.
This comes when one obtains security to protect personal property or the individual himself usually when he has threats of death or just a suspicion.
Usually, a private security guard or a government armed personnel is hired to provide safety, while those who can’t get a personal guard can install CCTV cameras.
It’s worth noting that, personal guards differ according to the preferences of the client who wants personal security. There are armed guards and unarmed guards.
Armed guards are quite expensive because, if one has a rifle, this means (in most cases) that there’s always a tax levied on him. An armed guard takes responsibility for one’s security needs while being highly vigilant. On the other hand, an unarmed guard is there for visibility. Visibility here is a security approach used in warding off possible threats or anyone who would be planning to cause harm.
General personal security can be hired by any person and can as well be appointed and deployed by the government to a V.I.P. depending on assessments. Some government V.I.P. reject general personal security for fear of espionage.
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To sum it up, personal security is a discipline that varies from individual to individual. As most people may build internal personal security for themselves, a good number have lately been going for general personal security by hiring guards either for prestige or for cover-up (especially after misappropriating funds). But all in all, personal security is necessary for our lives, either for self-defence or for our mental health.
Omadang Yowasi is a Ugandan poet, poetry editor, and cop in the Uganda Police Force. His work has severally been published or is forthcoming in magazines like Writers Space Africa, Writers Global Movement, Nalubaale Review, Ghana Writes, The Indianapolis Review, among others, and in anthologies like Corpses of Unity, Best New African poets anthology 2019, and Writing Robotics: Africa Vs Asia Vol 2. He is also a poetry editor with WSA magazine and has edited three successful poetry books, If We Must Kiss, Storms Don’t Last Forever, and Dead Manners. He’s a follower of African men’s football and has written for two African national men’s football teams, the latest being The Atlas Lions of Morocco at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
