Surviving kidnappers:
precautions, influence, strategic tools
Olav Ofstad
Troubador Publishing: Kibworth Beauchamp,due August 2017, 95 pages
ISBN: 978-1-7880-3279-7
£39.99
Reviewed by Tim CurtisI enjoyed this book which cogently and logically profiles the anatomy of a kidnapping, and proposes practical methods and techniques that can reduce the risk of being kidnapped. These techniques are as applicable in enhancing the personal security of a tourist in Tokyo as they are for an aid and development worker in Somalia. The author punctuates the book with short case studies which give both colour and context. While there are many organisations that offer hostile environment awareness training, there is no truly authoritative insider’s guide on preparing frequent travellers and workers in high-risk areas ahead of the specific risk of kidnapping. Surviving kidnappers is now the first such publication.
There are an estimated 500,000 kidnappings each year but only 10 percent of these are formally reported. In the last ten years, I have led a team of response consultants forkidnap-for-ransomand related cases across 70 countries. In our assessment, when a ransom is paid, kidnap victims are returned safely in 97 percent of cases.
Responding to kidnapping requires refined crisis-management skills. There is a collision of considerations for a response consultant as well as the victim’s family andemployer. There is the ongoing public policy debate on the payment of ransoms, the risk of breaching anti-terrorism financing laws, the ongoing effect of the kidnapping on families and co-workers, and the accompanying risk to an organisation’s liability, reputation, business continuity, and share price or profitability. Ofstad’s focus is more operational, and he simplifies the complexity by looking at the challenges principally through the eyes of a kidnap victim.
Statistically, kidnapping is still highly unlikely and, for the most part, periods of captivity are short. However, in the very unlikely event of a kidnapping, Ofstad explains some of the ways that can enhance the prospects of surviving. He spends sometime explaining the mindset and psychological resilience that is necessary in captivity. He outlines methods to reduce a victim’s stress and boost mental resilience. He offers collegiate techniques where there may be a group of kidnapping victims. I particularly enjoyed the chapters outlining his methods to influence the kidnappers to a victim’s advantage, and his proposed ways of dealing with mentally unstable kidnappers.
There are some areas in the book where Ofstad provides balanced advice, such as the challenges associated with escape. There are many variables in a kidnapping situation, including isolation, the volatility of kidnapping groups, as well as typically the poor physical conditions of kidnap victims. I was reassured that the author was not categorical about a kidnap victim’s obligation to escape. He carefully outlines the risks of attempting to escape. Indeed, in my experience, those 3 percent of cases where a victim does not come back safely, one of the reasons is a failed escape attempt. While you would never advise that you should not attempt to escape, you should never advise that you should.
Surviving kidnappers is a practical handbook that can logically inform the preparation of staff and travellers in areas of increased kidnapping risk. It is a cover-to-cover read for frequent travellers, security and safety professionals, military personnel and workers in high-risk areas or professions particularly where there is exposure to the risk of kidnapping.
Managing Partner
The Security Cooperative
http://thesecuritycooperative.com/#
precautions, influence, strategic tools
Olav Ofstad
Troubador Publishing: Kibworth Beauchamp,due August 2017, 95 pages
ISBN: 978-1-7880-3279-7
£39.99
Reviewed by Tim CurtisI enjoyed this book which cogently and logically profiles the anatomy of a kidnapping, and proposes practical methods and techniques that can reduce the risk of being kidnapped. These techniques are as applicable in enhancing the personal security of a tourist in Tokyo as they are for an aid and development worker in Somalia. The author punctuates the book with short case studies which give both colour and context. While there are many organisations that offer hostile environment awareness training, there is no truly authoritative insider’s guide on preparing frequent travellers and workers in high-risk areas ahead of the specific risk of kidnapping. Surviving kidnappers is now the first such publication.
There are an estimated 500,000 kidnappings each year but only 10 percent of these are formally reported. In the last ten years, I have led a team of response consultants forkidnap-for-ransomand related cases across 70 countries. In our assessment, when a ransom is paid, kidnap victims are returned safely in 97 percent of cases.
Responding to kidnapping requires refined crisis-management skills. There is a collision of considerations for a response consultant as well as the victim’s family andemployer. There is the ongoing public policy debate on the payment of ransoms, the risk of breaching anti-terrorism financing laws, the ongoing effect of the kidnapping on families and co-workers, and the accompanying risk to an organisation’s liability, reputation, business continuity, and share price or profitability. Ofstad’s focus is more operational, and he simplifies the complexity by looking at the challenges principally through the eyes of a kidnap victim.
Statistically, kidnapping is still highly unlikely and, for the most part, periods of captivity are short. However, in the very unlikely event of a kidnapping, Ofstad explains some of the ways that can enhance the prospects of surviving. He spends sometime explaining the mindset and psychological resilience that is necessary in captivity. He outlines methods to reduce a victim’s stress and boost mental resilience. He offers collegiate techniques where there may be a group of kidnapping victims. I particularly enjoyed the chapters outlining his methods to influence the kidnappers to a victim’s advantage, and his proposed ways of dealing with mentally unstable kidnappers.
There are some areas in the book where Ofstad provides balanced advice, such as the challenges associated with escape. There are many variables in a kidnapping situation, including isolation, the volatility of kidnapping groups, as well as typically the poor physical conditions of kidnap victims. I was reassured that the author was not categorical about a kidnap victim’s obligation to escape. He carefully outlines the risks of attempting to escape. Indeed, in my experience, those 3 percent of cases where a victim does not come back safely, one of the reasons is a failed escape attempt. While you would never advise that you should not attempt to escape, you should never advise that you should.
Surviving kidnappers is a practical handbook that can logically inform the preparation of staff and travellers in areas of increased kidnapping risk. It is a cover-to-cover read for frequent travellers, security and safety professionals, military personnel and workers in high-risk areas or professions particularly where there is exposure to the risk of kidnapping.
Managing Partner
The Security Cooperative
http://thesecuritycooperative.com/#