1. Keep calm. Hostage takers are nervous. Do not do anything to make them more so. Do not speak unless spoken to.
Try to keep your abductors calm. Try to build up your relationship with
the abductors, be empathetic. Empathy will mean it will be harder to
harm you, if you make yourself more human and strike up a bond. Ak for
small favours such as a glass of water, something to eat, or a newspaper
etc. Give the abductors an opportunity humanize you and be humanized.
The final stage of empathy is identification, and showing photographs of
family, relatives and friends can mean a hostage
taker identifying with you. This would mean a reduction in the amount
of threat.
2. If shooting takes place keep your head down and drop to the floor.
3. Do not make any sudden or suspicious movements. Do not attempt to hide your belongings, for example your wallet or passport.
4.
Feign compliance and comply with all demands. Remain alert and do not
attempt to escape. If you are told to move into a different postion, do
it. Do not change your position on your own. Relax into your position.
Prepare yourself mentally for a long ordeal.
5.
Never look at a hostage taker directly, or in other words, avoid eye
contact. Keep your head down and never raise your head until you are
asked to speak. Raise your hand and address the hostake taker in a
respectful, but not submissive manner.
6. Give
them nicknames in your mind so that you can identify them. Mentally
describe them by their clothing, accents, facial characteristics or
height etc to help the authorities later.
7. If
you are in an aeroplane, know where the closest emergency exit is,
Count the rows between you and the exit. In the event of a rescue, smoke
may obscure your vision and you must know the quickest route to the
exit. Do not attempt to escape unless a massacre is about take place.
8.
Shots may be fired. If a rescue team enters, get down and stay still
unless any sudden movement draws hostake taker or friendly fire.
9.
Once the hostage situation has been resolved, identify yourself and the
hostage takers to the rescuers. Some hostage takers may try to leave
with you, pretending to be hostages.
10. To avoid a hostage situation, do not make yourself an attractive proposition.
(i) Do not take your passport out in public places.
(ii) Be alert at airports, bus and train stations.
(iii) Be alert in expensive hotels and stores that are used by rich tourists.
(iv) Hotage takers will choose people that will get them the most attention.
11. In the first few seconds of a kidnap attempt, be hyper- aggressive and violent to thwart it.
In the first twenty-four hours, feign compliance, but gather as much intel as possible.
Identify the type of abduction before judging how much risk to take in
escaping. If youve been abducted by a sexual predator or for
retaliatory political / military reasons, your life is almost certainly
at risk.If the abduction is for ransom or leverage, you are worth more
alive.
12 Any way that security can force
an attacker to increase the resources necessary to carry out an attack
will increase the chances of detection.
13.
Stockholm syndrome can occur where the hostages can display positive
feelings and empathy towards their captors. The hostages mistake a lack
of abuse as kindness. The hostages project their own qualities onto the
hostage takers. Projection is a term used in psychopathology which means
that you expect an outcome when the reality of the situation is quite
different. The term projective identification has been used for
Stockholm syndrome. People who experience the syndrome enter a
dissociated state which is a defence mechanism enabling them to cope
with the abuse they endure. Frank Ochberg describes it as 'a primitive
gratitude for life'. In the disssociated state, hostages may decide not
to escape when the opportunity presents itself.
14.
In the story 'A prisoner in the Caucasus' by Tolstoy', a Cossack held
captive by the Tartars Makes a clay doll and gives it to a young girl
who befriends him and fetches the keys allowing him and his friend to
escape.
15. On the 8/5/11 I heard on B.B.C.
world service that a captive survived his experience by making a doll
and then talking to it throughout his captivity.
How to come to terms with your experience as a hostage or captivity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I
have found that books on alien abduction like 'Abduction' by John E.
Mack have helped me to rationalise my experience. Also 'Communion' by
Whitley strieber has been reccomended. Contacting U.F.O groups has
helped but there has been a downside to this. Instead of saying that I
had been abducted, I had been misquoted as saying that I had been
abducted by aliens and was sectioned for seven weeks under the mental
health act. Out of the frying pan into the fire.
Rederences
-----------------
The worst-case scenario survival handbook : travel by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht published by chronicle books.
The SAS security handbook.
Urban Survival by Wiseman
A prisoner in the Caucasus by Tolstoy published by Russian classics.
How To Stay Alive by Bear Grylls.
Acknowledgements
----------------------------
U.F.O. society Ireland.
conaipo@yahoo.com
Chief Inspector Shattock formerly of Avon and Somerset constabulary - Bridewell police station in Bristol.
Sergeant Graham Thomas of Devon and Cornwall constabulary - Barnstaple police station.
The Jackal - the good terrorist.
Stellios Peripteron in Dhali, Cyprus and Stavros, Yangos, Stellios, Sotiris, Nikos, Mannoli.
HOW TO SURVIVE AS A PRISONER OF WAR (POW)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anxiety
-------------
Characterised by fear of the future, indecision, helplessness and resentment.
Take positive action by adopting a simple plan. Take your mind off the anxiety by doing something constructive.
Felt when it is perceived that something bad is to happen.
Panic
---------
This will cause someone to behave irrationally.
It is brought on by sudden overwhelming fear.
Bolster morale and calm the panic with leadership and discipline.
Treat in the same way as fear.
Fear
-------
Fear is a reaction to a specific known cause.
Caused by apprehension of impending disaster.
Produces uneasiness, general discomfort, worry and depression.
There will be mild uneasiness to complete disorganisation and panic.
There is a general tendency to underestimate, leading to reckless and foolhardy behaviour.
Fight fear by pretending that it does not exist.
Symptoms include irritability and increased hostility. Talkativeness in early stages finally leading to speechlessness. Confusion, forgetfulness and inability to concentrate. A feeling of unreality, flight, panic or stupor.
There is a need to control fear as one cannot run away from it.
(i) Understand fear.
(ii) Admit that it exists.
(iii) Accept fear as a reality.
1. "It can happen to me".
Know when danger threatens and be prepared if it comes.
Increase knowledge of survival environment to reduce the "unknown".
2. Keep busy at all times.
Prevent hunger, thirst, fatigue and ignorance of the situation as these increase fear.
3. Practice religion.
4. Keep your mind on the main goal and keep everything else in perspective.
Learn to tolerate discomfort.
Dont exert energy on minor desires which may conflict with the overall goal to survive. Conserving energy is important here.
5. Teamwork as mutual support reduces fear.
6. Discipline.
7. Lead by example. Calm behaviour and demonstration of control are contagious. Both reduce fear and inspire courage.
8. Patriotism.
Impatience
-------------------
Evaders who do not have the ability or willingness to suppress annoyance when confronted with delay may expose themselves to captivity or injury.
Dependance
----------------------
The captor will try to develop in prisoners feelings of need and support and trust for the captor by regulating the availability of basic needs like food, water, clothing, social contact and medical care. This shows power and control over the prisoners, and the now and then treatment of the prisoners makes "giving in", or cooperation seem like a good idea.
Meeting a physical or mental need will provide a POW with a "victory" and boost morale, and provide the foundation for continued resistance against exploitism.
Survivors must understand that despite captor controls, they do control their own lives.
Threat to family etc, and control over living conditions, makes "giving in" or cooperation seem like a good idea.
Loneliness
-------------------
Self-confidence and self-sufficiency from developing and demonstrating competence in performing tasks.
Boredom
----------------
Boredom is accompanied by a lack of interest and may include, strain, anxiety or depression.
It can happen when there is no relief in sight and frustration.
Relief can be produced by correction of two basic sources, repetitiveness and uniformity. These can be dealt with by rotation of duties and broadening the scope of tasks, taking rest breaks or diversification. The ungratifying nature of tasks can be counteracted by clearing up its meaning, objectives, and in some cases its relation to the total plan.
Hopelessness
------------------------
can happen as a result of
(i) Inability to care for sickness, broken bones or injuries.
(ii) The thought of seeing loved ones again.
(iii) The thought of returning home alive.
(iv) Lack of belief in your physical or mental abilities to deal with the situation.
(v) Physical exhaustion or exposure to the elements affects the mind and the person starts to lose hope causing "give-up-itis".
Hopelessness can be dealt with by
(i) Will yourself to live.
(ii) Do not withdraw from the group.
(iii) Eliminate the cause of stress and participate in rest, comfort and morale boosting activities
(iv) Get angry. This leads to a positive attitude and is a powerful influence on morale and combatting hopelessness. It is possible to compromise between withdrawal and attack by a change of method of operation or substituting goals.
Evasion
--------------
Steal food, eat bugs. Acceptance of substitute means to acheive goals. Use public transport and back streets.
Self-determination
--------------------------------
Survivors must decide how unpleasant factors will be allowed to affect their mental state and accept responsibility for both the way they feel and how they let those feelings affect them.
References
---------------------
United States Air Force Survival Handbook
Combat and survival magazine / encyclopedia
Picture is of Glastonbury Tor at Sunrise by bicycle.
