More than three-quarters of the world's countries have experienced at least one terrorist attack or act in the last ten years, and terrorist organisations have increased their use of hostage-taking tactics in recent decades. Although academia is divided on the issue, negotiations remain one of the pillars of counter-terrorism strategies, especially in hostage-taking cases. Diplomatic and negotiation theorists, and terrorism and counter-terrorism researchers, have debated for decades whether negotiations with terrorist groups are legitimate and productive. However, police authorities know that peaceful ways of resolving crises are a realistic and almost necessary option when human lives are at stake. As crisis negotiations with hostage-taking terrorists lead to complex and tense scenarios, police and investigative services have developed over time a set of basic rules and principles that can help the negotiator. Although there is no set recipe for conducting negotiations in hostage situations, negotiators follow a set of guidelines and principles and use certain methods, such as the BCSM/BISM and REACCT models. Comparing the negotiation processes employed during the terrorist attack at the Munich Olympics (1972), the Dubrovka Theatre in Moscow (2002), Beslan (2004) and the siege on Balcombe Street in London (1975), it is clear that following the rules and principles of crisis negotiation can lead to a peaceful resolution of the crisis situation.
|
