The 28-year-old man who took four employees of the Ede entertainment venue Petticoat hostage this weekend was sentenced to prison last December by the Gelderland court. The suspect was then sentenced to 120 days in prison for threatening, of which 103 were conditional. The judge also ordered the man to report to a psychiatric clinic. The court subsequently confirmed this reporting in the Gelderlander.
According to the same newspaper, it concerns a death threat with a firearm against two police officers, although the court cannot confirm this. On Monday it was announced that the man was being treated for psychological problems.
Nevertheless, the police managed to free the hostages on Saturday afternoon without violence or injury. How does a negotiator achieve that?
“Curiosity is the key word,” says Heidi Nieboer (55). She was a police negotiator for thirteen years and had countless conversations with people who threatened to harm themselves or others. “You have to make contact. That starts with the question of whether someone wants to talk at all. But unlike suicide bombers, who directly kill victims, in many cases hostage takers are eager to tell their story.”
Gain trust
The hostage situation in Ede lasted almost eight hours. However, it was not decided to launch a raid. “Very understandable,” said Nieboer. “We know from research that in hostage situations the largest number of victims occur during a raid.”
As soon as a hostage taker answers the phone, the negotiator must win his trust. “The trick is to separate the person from his behavior at such a moment. You know the hostage taker is doing something very serious, but ultimately helping the victims is central.”
And so, says Nieboer, a negotiator adopts an empathetic attitude: “Then you say: gosh, what is actually going on? Initially you are listening more than asking. Then you often hear that it is an act of desperation.” The suspect's lawyers in Ede reported yesterday the Gelderlander that the motive for the action may be related to the “very lengthy search” for “appropriate help” and the “hopeless situation” the suspect found himself in.
Nieboer tells how she had to deal with a man in Amsterdam in early 2000 who threatened to commit suicide with a samurai sword. “His son stood next to him with a bread knife. He wanted to imitate his father. Terrible, of course. But the trick is to listen carefully to someone. This man appeared to have lost his wife and house. By pointing out the help he could get, I managed to stop him.”
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Empathy, not sympathy
However, the police negotiator's empathy will never turn into sympathy, says Nieboer. “A negotiator is not a therapist. You are there to influence someone. Our greatest asset is that we want the hostage taker to come out alive. It will not be emphasized in that way anytime soon, because it sounds very threatening, but if necessary, we will subtly hint at it.”
Negotiators must constantly assess how great the threat is to the hostages. “A confused person with weapons can be just as dangerous as a terrorist.” In Ede it was a positive sign that people were asking for food after a while, says Nieboer. “Apparently he had not prepared for this and did not intend for the hostage situation to last long.” Yet it remains difficult to determine how dangerous someone is. “You only know for sure once someone walks outside.”
The final decision to initiate a raid is not the negotiator's responsibility, Nieboer says. “We are just one of the links during such a crisis. The general commander ultimately decides, in consultation with the triangle, whether a raid should be carried out. I've always been happy that I didn't have to make that choice.”
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