Statistics
The evidence-based reality of violence
Lawful Survival exists to help professionals understand, train for and manage violence in society. Good solutions start with good evidence. On this page you will find a sample of the data we collect every day from civilians, Police Officers, soldiers and security staff who report incidents to us via our survey, or by interview. Some of the statistics on this page also come from government data, such as the UK Crime Survey.
Our team analyse these statistics looking for trends and patterns, an ongoing effort to truly understand real-world violence and build strategies to help professionals remain effective and safe in their work. This is what we know.
Violent criming is soaring...
Violent assaults resulting in serious injury have risen by almost 67% since 2012 across England & Wales.
Source: Crime Survey For England and Wales: year ending September 2019, Table A4: Police recorded crime by offence, “Violence with injury”
...while police numbers are falling
Frontline police officer numbers have dropped by more than 16% since 2010 in England & Wales.
Source: House of Commons Library, Police Service Strength, 4th March 2020, Table A5: Police Officers Employed In Frontline Roles At 31 March
Training solutions are often ineffective because they do not address the primary factor that affects the outcome of a violent incident... ...fear
The Acute Stress Reaction, which can lead to adrenal freeze, often paralyses victims, rendering any training irrelevant. Adrenal Paralysis, or Freeze, is the most significant factor that predicts the outcome of a violent incident.
66.5%
Of incidents involved the victim suffering freeze at some point during the incident
89.6%
Of freezes resulted in a lose condition (injury to victim, little or no injury to offender)
75.4%
Of ‘wins’ (injury to offender, little or no injury to victim) resulted in the victim suffering no freeze
So what affects the likelihood of a victim becoming frozen in fear when subjected to violent assault? Not all training is equal...
The type of training you have makes a difference to the likelihood that you will suffer catastrophic adrenal paralysis, or Freeze, in the face of a violent incident. But it isn’t different disciplines or techniques we’re talking about. It’s exposure to fear and stress. Training that exposes people to stressful simulation of aggressive and violent situations is better than training that does not. Obviously, then, exposure to real-world violence, or experience, is even more valuable than training that simulates it, which in turn is more valuable than training that does not simulate violence and focuses only on technique.
With No Training Nor Experience (CON), 90.4% of victims freeze when the incident begins. Only 1.4% of these victims subsequently recover and win.
It's a similar story for victims with only Non-Adrenalised Training (NAT Only). 78.5% of victims freeze when the incident begins. Only 10.3% of these victims subsequently recover and win.
On the other hand, victims with only Adrenalised Training (AT Only), only Experience of Violence (EXP Only) or have both (AT+EXP), have significantly lower freeze rates (51.4%, 31.6% and 27.8% respectively) as well as higher recover and win rates (19.7%, 33.3% and 60% respectively).
Training and experience are not the only things affecting a victim's likelihood of freezing...early warning matters.
The shape of the Adrenal Curve matters. Early warning significantly reduces probability of suffering adrenal freeze. The earlier you become aware of an upcoming incident and begin the Adrenalisation process, the less likely you are to freeze and the more likely you are to recover and win.
With 5 minutes warning, 27.3% of victims freeze when the incident begins.
With 5 seconds warning, 75.7% of victims freeze when the incident begins.
People who have undergone training involving regular contact and adrenalised components or have significant experience dealing with violence are much more likely to perceive an incident earlier than those that do not.
38.9% of victims with No Experience Nor Training (CON) and 41.6% of victims with Non-Adrenalised Training Only (NAT Only) only perceive the threat 5 seconds before it happens.
21.6% of victims with Adrenalised Training Only (AT Only), 21.1% of victims with Experience of Violence (EXP Only) and 22.2% of victims with Adrenalised Training and Experience of Violence (AT+EXP) perceive the threat 5 seconds before it happens.
Pre-emptive striking matters.
It significantly reduces probability of suffering adrenal freeze and the more likely you are to recover and win.
When pre-emptive striking is not used, 79.2% of victims suffer freeze. 9.7% of these victims subsequently recover and successfully defend themselves.
When pre-emptive striking is used, 26.9% of victims suffer freeze. 17.1% of these victims subsequently recover and successfully defend themselves.
People who have undergone training involving regular contact and adrenalised components or have significant experience dealing with violence are much more likely to strike an attacker preemptively than those that have not.
Other significant factors that lead to freeze...
Going to ground
If the assault moves to the floor, 86.9% of victims suffer freeze
Only 3.1% of these victims subsequently recover and successfully defend themselves
Weapons
When confronted with a weapon, 66.7% of victims suffer freeze
0% of these victims subsequently recover and successfully defend themselves
Intoxication
If the victim is drunk or high, 73% suffer freeze
Only 5.7% of these victims subsequently recover and successfully defend themselves
Outnumbered
If the victim is is outnumbered by attackers, 68.8% suffer freeze
Only 11.5% of these victims subsequently recover and successfully defend themselves