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Introduction
Prevention
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Managing an Event
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Scenarios
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Introduction
Kidnap for ransom has continued unabated for centuries. It is a nasty
experience and can leave its victims and their families traumatised and
poorer. A kidnap also has the potential to impact a business by distracting
management from their normal duties and damaging corporate reputation.
Peter Dobbs
Catlin Asset Protection
London
(continued)
Victims
Traditionally, the great majority of victims of
kidnapping for money were wealthy local
families, especially their children.
Globally, everyone sees how the rich are
living.
Peter Dobbs, Catlin
As high-profile and wealthy individuals have
become more security-conscious, kidnappers in
countries like Mexico, Nigeria, India and
Pakistan have turned their attention to more
accessible victims, including ordinary workers,
local merchants, mid-level managers,
professional people and government employees.
Such local residents remain the favoured target
of kidnappers and extortion gangs throughout
the world. They are more numerous and less
well protected. Their abduction tends to receive
less police attention, and ransom payments, if
smaller, are usually faster.
Foreign nationals are not immune from threat,
however. In the past year, there have been
several actual and attempted abductions of
foreign citizens throughout the world, including
oil company workers and contractors,
journalists, aid workers, missionaries and foreign
business personnel.
Nationals from countries such as India, Pakistan
and China are abducted in comparatively high
numbers because of their presence as workers
in high-risk areas of the world, often with little
security around them.
(continued)
Potential Targets
Kidnapping blackspots
Kidnapping especially express kidnapping
takes place all over the world. In some countries
or regions, it is endemic. In others, it occurs it
waves. The proportion of kidnaps for ransom in
Latin America mainly Colombia and Mexico
remains very high, slightly more than half the
worlds total, but the number of kidnappings is
growing in the Caribbean and Africa, especially
Nigeria. Countries in which there is political
instability, for example those left unsettled after
the Arab spring such as Egypt and Libya, bear
watching.
No one is safe from kidnapping, regardless
of occupation, nationality, race, gender or
age,
US State Department comment on Haiti.
For years, Colombia was the worlds abduction
black spot. The FARC was a well-disciplined
guerrilla group, utilising remote terrain for hiding
hostages and evading detection. It remains a
dangerous force, but the success of the
Colombian authorities in demobilising guerrillas
and improved policing and general social
condemnation mean that kidnapping is no longer
seen as a low-risk method of raising money.
Afghanistan
There is a high threat of kidnapping throughout
Afghanistan from both financially motivated and
ideologically driven groups and individuals.
Catlin Group Limited
In March 2012, according to Agence FrancePresse, Brazilian police said they had broken up
a so-called Gang of Blondes made up of six
attractive, educated women who were believed
to have abducted 54 female shoppers since
2009. The young women cased shopping malls
and supermarkets in Sao Paulo and Rio de
Janeiro for wealthy women. Once they identified
their target, two of the criminals would hold the
victim while the others exhausted her credit card
limits before releasing her.
China
China has recently seen an increase in kidnap
for ransom incidents, carried out by both
inexperienced individuals and professional
gangs. Despite the country's economic
transformation and growth in wealth, the majority
of the population remains impoverished. The
gap between rich and poor is widening, and a
get rich quick mentality has proliferated.
Colombia
Colombia still has one of the highest kidnapping
rates in the world despite a considerable
reduction over the past ten years. While
Colombians are the primary targets, foreigners
can also be targeted in all parts of the country,
especially those working for (or thought to be
working for) oil and mining companies.
Egypt
Sinai has seen a surge in lawlessness since the
fall of the Mubarak government in 2011 with
increased disputes between tribesmen in the
area and security forces. The aim of the
abductions often appears to be pressure for the
release of relatives from prison.
(continued)
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2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Source: Red24
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Prevention
The principles of creating a kidnap crisis management team are the same
as for dealing with any corporate emergency, adapted to kidnappings
unique circumstances.
Residents
For those based in higher-risk countries,
common sense goes a long way, but there
are several basic principles that should be
followed:
Awareness
Learn which areas are high-risk and be
aware you may be a target. React quickly if
the security situation changes and always
check for anything unusual. Be particularly
alert when arriving at or leaving places that
are regularly visited, and teach your whole
family to be aware of their surroundings.
Low profile
Keep a low profile. For example, do not
discuss work in public and make sure your
home address and family details are
safeguarded. On the phone, identify callers
before answering questions or giving out
personal details. Keep your appearance and
spending habits discrete.
Unpredictable routines
Vary journeys to work, home or social
events, avoiding back streets and deprived
areas. Also try to vary travelling times. Many
accidents are staged, so if you are involved
in an accident, do not stop but drive to a
safe location to report it.
Communication
Know where all members of the family are
supposed to be at all times and have contact
numbers for the office, neighbours and the
police/local guard force. Always ask for help
if you are threatened or feel afraid.
Importantly, remind the entire family not to
divulge on social media websites such as
Facebook or Twitter where you or they are
at any given time or to disclose personal
information.
Layers of security
Analyse how vulnerable you are and
develop security measures all stages of your
daily life. You must not switch off your
security precautions when you leave the
office.
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Managing an Event
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Gather information;
Give objective advice;
Train a communicator;
Manage the crisis management team;
Develop financial and negotiation strategy;
Prepare the company and the family to
make the right decisions; and
Enable senior executives to manage the
business.
Negotiations
The purpose of negotiation is to:
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Managing an Event
Managing post-event
During and immediately after the kidnapping,
victims and families will suffer normal reactions
to what is an abnormal event. Only in some
cases, however, will this level of distress
continue long term.
Following release, the hostage and his or her
family should be briefed on how to obtain both
practical and psychological assistance in the
months that follow. Different people react in
different ways, and it cannot be assumed they
will want or need help. They should not be
forced to have counselling, but it must be
offered. Consultants can provide the services of
clinical psychologists who have experience with
kidnapping victims.
In addition to the normal desire to help someone
who has been through a traumatic experience,
offering such support should help mitigate any
liability claim.
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Ransom Demands
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Ransom
Transit risk for the ransom
Additional expenses.
Legal liability in case of litigation by a kidnap
victims or family
Personal accident, including potential death
and permanent disability payments with
respect to kidnap victims
Consultancy services
Emergency evacuation/repatriation
Loss of earnings caused by an insured
incident
Malicious threat expense
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Scenarios
Organizations operating in high-risk areas must be prepared for
the risk that their employees could be kidnapped. Here are some
real-life examples.
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DLA Piper
http://www.dlapiper.com
Drum Cussac
http://www.drum-cussac.com
Red24
http://www.red24.com
http://www.compass-rm.com
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/
United Kingdom
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/traveladvice-by-country/
United States
http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html
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Catlin.com