🌳 Park Safety Module
Parks feel peaceful — but they also contain hidden risks. This module teaches you how to read behaviour, position yourself safely, protect children, and act fast when something doesn’t feel right.
1️⃣ Understanding Park Environments
Parks constantly shift — people appear, disappear, move unpredictably, and change direction often. This creates higher risk because:
- There are fewer witnesses in isolated sections.
- People let their guard down due to nature, calmness, or play.
- Children reduce adult awareness by pulling attention away.
- Large areas make behaviour harder to monitor at a distance.
Your awareness should rise naturally as foot traffic decreases.
2️⃣ Safe Positioning in Open Spaces
Where you stand determines 90% of your safety outdoors. You should always aim to:
- Position yourself with clear sightlines.
- Avoid secluded benches or tree lines.
- Keep distance from lone individuals acting unpredictably.
- Walk where escape routes are visible and open.
- Stay within public flow — safety increases with numbers.
Space is your shield — distance is your first defence.
3️⃣ Family Zones vs Risk Zones
Risk Zones:
- Isolated picnic benches
- Wooded paths
- Areas behind buildings or hills
- Underpopulated corners
- Playground edges away from the gate
Safe Zones (Natural Protection):
- Busy playgrounds
- Café areas
- Dog-walking paths
- Main grass fields
- Sports courts
Staying inside public flow reduces targeted crime by over 80%.
4️⃣ Concerning Behaviour Indicators
Trust your instinct when you see:
- Pacing or agitated scanning
- Staring intensely at families
- Following someone loosely
- Sitting alone but monitoring children
- Hiding hands or adjusting clothing oddly
- Moving unpredictably or closing distance
These behaviours don’t confirm danger — they confirm the need for early action.
5️⃣ Immediate Safety Steps
When behaviour feels wrong:
- Increase distance.
- Move toward populated areas.
- Keep children beside you — never behind obstacles.
- Break line of sight using trees, benches, or paths.
- Leave the area early — you lose nothing by being cautious.
Safety isn’t about being “right” — it’s about being early.
6️⃣ Child-Specific Park Safety
Children lower adult awareness by pulling attention in multiple directions. Improve child safety by ensuring:
- They remain within arm’s reach or 1–2 seconds running distance.
- A return word (e.g., “Pineapple!”) is used for immediate recall.
- They do not wander behind buildings, trees or equipment.
- You place yourself between children and potential risk.
- They stay within visible pathways, not behind obstacles.
7️⃣ Lone-Walker Park Safety
If walking alone in a park:
- Choose open, visible pathways.
- Avoid wooded shortcuts.
- Use one headphone only.
- Change direction early if instinct fires.
- Move into populated zones when someone concerns you.
- Keep your phone accessible and unlocked.
Visibility and distance are your biggest assets when walking alone.
🧠 Park Safety Quiz
10 questions. Learn how to spot danger early.
1️⃣ Someone alone repeatedly watches families and paces when people walk past. What do you do?
A) Ask if they’re okay
B) Increase distance & move to populated area
C) Stay but keep an eye
D) Ignore it
2️⃣ Which area is MOST dangerous?
A) Playground
B) Dog-walking path
C) Secluded wooded path
D) Café seating
3️⃣ What should children NEVER do?
A) Wander behind obstacles
B) Stay close to you
C) Use a return word
D) Walk in open view
4️⃣ Someone hides their hands when you walk past. Correct response?
A) Ask what they’re hiding
B) Increase distance immediately
C) Ignore it
D) Confront them
5️⃣ What is the safest path when walking alone?
A) Open path with far visibility
B) Path beside bushes
C) Behind buildings
D) Narrow passage
6️⃣ Someone changes direction to match yours. You should:
A) Stay on your path
B) Change direction early
C) Walk toward them
D) Ask why they follow
7️⃣ Best way to protect children?
A) Let them wander at a distance
B) Keep them within 1–2 seconds reach
C) Encourage loud play
D) Never let them move independently
8️⃣ Which behaviour signals risk?
A) Jogging by
B) Pacing and scanning families
C) Using their phone
D) Walking dogs
9️⃣ Best response to unusual clothing adjustments?
A) Ask what’s wrong
B) Treat it as concerning & increase distance
C) Ignore it
D) Challenge them
🔟 The safest decision when instinct fires?
A) Wait to gather more information
B) Leave early — nothing to lose
C) Challenge the person
D) Ignore the feeling
