RAPE PREVENTION: Rape accounted for 1% of...

RAPE PREVENTION: Rape accounted for 1% of county crimes reported last year, but that number may be misleading. Experts say there likely were far more than the 685 listed by police. . . . “Rape is the most under-reported violent crime,” says Barbara West, assistant director of the Sexual Assault Victim Services Program in Santa Ana and Irvine. “Victims are afraid they’ll be re-victimized--blamed by society.” One important tip she gives: Being highly aware of one’s surroundings may greatly reduce the chances of being raped. . . . For further rape-prevention information, call: (714) 756-0677.

ON GUARD: The criminal about to assault you often measures his chance for success by how responsive you are, West says. Will you give him directions? Tell him the time? Let him get close enough so you cannot escape? “We have been socialized to be helpful,” she adds. “But it is far better to say no to a stranger than risk attack. . . . Nice can be dangerous.”

EVERYDAY FEARS: Being carjacked, attacked while walking or while stranded on the freeway, being robbed in a vacation hotel room--”these are things people fear most today,” says Paxton Quigley, author of “Not an Easy Target.” . . . To be safe, “people must confront their fear and take a course in self-protection.” Quigley also conducts personal safety classes--her next locally is in Laguna Niguel in October. . . . Her first defense against suspicious characters: “I look them dead in the eye. It strips them of their biggest weapon, the element of surprise.”

ROAD WARRIORS? One crime on the rise: assaults following traffic incidents--some with fists, some even with cars. Freeway jams have an effect on people’s nerves, says forensic psychologist Wesley Mamam of Orange: “Heavier traffic is trying their patience.” . . . Offenders often are good citizens put over the edge by a road incident. “Do not participate in any aggressive action,” Mamam warns. “Remain cool. Apologize. Keep driving.”

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Stolen Orange

Theft-related acts made up the bulk of crimes reported to Orange County law enforcement in 1994:

Larceny: 42%

Burglary: 20%

Motor vehicle theft: 17%

Aggravated assault: 14%

Robbery: 5%

Murder/rape: 2%

Source: California Department of Justice