Are we alert?

Unfortunately, too many people are not alert. I was part of teaching a class on self defense a few years ago, and one of the first things we taught is how to be alert. Simply glancing at someone can be enough to prevent you from being their victim. Most crime (except of course murder) can often be prevented by simply noticing your surroundings, and your potential assailant. Most actors don't want to be potentially identified, and a robber is less likely to choose you as a target if they think you have a good chance of identifying them. At the very least by noticing danger, you can be better prepared to respond to it. But instead of increasing awareness, we decrease it. How many people do you see in a day walking through life looking at the screen of their phone instead of where they are going? How many people have earphones in and are listening to music, instead of the world around them? Sometimes you can't avoid being a victim, but decreasing your awareness certainly increases your chances of becoming one.

I am absolutely alert about crime. I try to take as many precautions as I can. Well without going overboard and getting completely panicked...

I am always alert. I never carry valuables in my bag especially large amounts of money. This is the reason why there are those things we call as ATM cards which we can use to pay for things we buy or in simple terms the debit cards. With the rate of crimes nowadays, even an expensive mobile device might just cause your life if you are not careful. I don't often walk to strange places at night. I just keep to the nearest vicinity where i know the people in the immediate environment. Holdups and pick pockets do abound in some areas near our place so I am really alert.