KIDNAP FOR RANSOM ON THE INCREASE
Kidnap for ransom incidents are among the most complex criminal phenomena in the world. Every year, countless people are being held at gunpoint, transported to a secret place, abused and held against their will until their families, employers or governments will pay a ransom for their release. This cynical crime, that sees human beings as a tradable commodity, is practiced by criminals, rebel groups and terrorist organizations alike. It is estimated that only 20% of the kidnap for ransom incidents makes it into the statistics; most kidnappings are dealt with by families and organizations without notifying the police.
KIDNAPPING IS A RATIONAL PLANNED-FOR CRIME
Be it international aid workers, politicians, journalists, travelers, business people, doctors and teachers, kidnapping gangs pick their victims carefully and work methodically towards getting their reward: the ransom payment. The act requires planning, teamwork, resources and a sense of risk-management that borders on the audacious. The rewards for kidnappers can be substantial, and the risks are rationally calculated.
KRIM ™ capacitates governments, international organizations, private sector and individuals to overcome a kidnap for ransom incident. Being prepared and knowing how to respond can make the difference between life and death.
DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES FOR THE KIDNAPPED AND THE EXTORTED
The risk for those who are kidnapped, and those who are extorted and expected to pay the ransom is devastating. Kidnapped persons are at risk to lose their lives, or assaulted, injured and to remain psychologically maimed for the rest of their lives. The effect on the families is shattering and destructive. The stress of dealing with a loved-one who is kidnapped and the process of getting them free, is for most people overwhelming and incapacitating.
RESEARCH AND BEST PRACTICE
The management of a kidnap for ransom incident requires governments, employers, and families that are being extorted, to respond effectively, whilst navigating a plethora of volatile dynamics and often difficult stakeholders. Still, there are effective responses to kidnap for ransom incidents and best practice have been distilled from the experience of law enforcement officers, crisis-responders, hostage negotiators and the kidnap for ransom insurance industry. Managing a kidnap for ransom incident effectively, is both an art, as well as science.
KRIM™ PROGRAMME OFFERS A SOLUTION
Historically, specialized hostage negotiation training is only provided by highly developed law enforcement agencies to selected serving police officers. The United Nations have a special programme for the training of their hostage incident managers, and some private security companies offer prevention and hostage survival classes.
The KRIM™ Programme offers a solution for those who cannot enter the restricted programmes of the police or the UN. The KRIM™ programme provides a comprehensive online experience that goes further and deeper than any other existing programme and is unique in its kind. The programme is open for those who are most at risk: aid workers, diplomats, journalists and operations managers, and provides unlimited access to knowledge, skills and resources that were not available to them before. The KRIM™ programme has been created for a contemporary online learning environment and is completely built around the concept that connectivity has replaced face-to-face contact, both in training as well as in the management of kidnap for ransom incidents.
OUR TARGET
In summary, the KRIM™ programme is an interactive online programme for managers in organizations tasked with responding to critical incidents involving staff members who are victims of a kidnap for ransom incident. The programme is foremost aimed at managers who are responsible for crisis response in companies and organizations with an international presence in kidnap for ransom prone areas of the world.
THE KRIM™ PROGRAMME AS EFFECTIVE RISK MANAGEMENT
The KRIM™ programme fits non-for- profit organizations and private businesses alike and can be valued as an effective risk management and due diligence measure. The objective is to enable managers to effectively deal with a kidnap for ransom incident, whilst navigating the dynamic and complex environment in which the victim, their family, the perpetrators, the organization, the media, law enforcement, national authorities and many other stakeholders are immersed. Although negotiating skills related to direct communication with threat actors, family and political stakeholders are introduced, analyzed, critiqued and practiced, the focus is on the integrated management of the incident.
KRIM™ PROGRAMME BOARD
The programme is unique, in the sense that it synthesizes more than fifty years of research and global best practices. The quality of the programme is validated by a Programme Board consisting of world experts in the field of crisis-response, law enforcement, hostage negotiation and kidnap for ransom incident management.
The KRIM™ Programme is affiliated with the Professional Development Institute of the University of Ottawa and is associated with the Certification Kidnap Incident Manager CKIM™ qualification, which is accredited by Highfield International, the international branch of Highfield Qualifications, a top 5 UK awarding organization. Highfield accreditation has recognised the KRIM™ programme as being equivalent to a level 6, using the Ofqual’s Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF) as a reference.
