Daily Times

Sir: There is a need to have trained negotiators to deal with kidnappers to ensure the safety of their victims. One, the longer the duration of the negotiation process, the brighter are the chances for victims to survive and get freedom. A kidnapper’s actions are influenced by his ability to operate safely and confidently. He ultimately releases the victim, kills him, or exerts additional psychological pressure on the victim’s family or company. The effect of a kidnapping, especially on the spouse and children, can be particularly traumatic, in the hope of coercing the payment of the demanded ransom.

While targeting a victim, kidnappers and other criminals have been known to evaluate their chances of success based on the following vulnerabilities:

Apparent wealth: what is the potential gain from kidnapping and the apparent ability of the would-be victim or his company to pay ransom to the kidnapper?

Media value: individual or corporate name recognition, product or service identification and your standing in business, government, the entertainment industry or social circles all add to your value as a potential target.

Family: spouses and children of the targeted victim are particularly valuable and prized targets.

Accessibility: the paradigm of the path of least resistance applies. A ‘hard’ or protected target is less likely to be a victim than a ‘soft’ or vulnerable target. As a security professional, I suggest the following points as a guide for reducing the chances of becoming a victim of kidnapping:

Increase your awareness by learning more about the nature and scope of the threats that exist in the area. Read the accounts of criminal activities in newspapers and learn from the experience of others. Lower your profile. Your perceived wealth makes you a prime target for some criminals, while your apparent vulnerability makes you a target for others. Avoid potentially dangerous situations; recognising a potentially dangerous situation without taking action to avoid involvement is foolhardy.

Respond properly if confronted. The appropriate response to a threat of kidnapping covers a broad spectrum from passive compliance to disabling the attacker and escaping. Adopt and follow all principles of good security. Use common sense; keep yourself well informed about the day-to-day criminal activities in the country; exercise prudent judgment, and conduct your personal vulnerability assessment. Those who frequently travel within the country or abroad should make an even more detailed personal vulnerability assessment. Familiarise your family members with the personal vulnerability assessment made, but be careful not to scare them. Talk candidly about safety concerns with your family, especially as spouses and children besides being targeted could carelessly disclose information regarding your activities, which can lead to serious problems.

Professional kidnappers also apply the principle of risk reduction in the selection of targets. Their objective is, of course, to reduce the risk of failure. Given a chance, they will focus their efforts on a target that offers the best chance of success: that is a victim whose personal security habits are lax and the pattern of activities is predictable.

By following the above suggestions, you will complicate the kidnapper’s planning to such an extent that they would most likely look elsewhere for a victim.

SQN LDR (RETD) S AUSAF HUSAIN

Karachi