Berea SAPS shares safety tips for hostage, hijacking situations
The team at Berea SAPS created an important list of 'dos' and 'don'ts' when faced with the two dangerous situations
BEREA SAPS shared important safety awareness tips on what to do when you are faced with a hostage situation or are the victim of a hijacking.
Speaking to the Berea Mail, the spokesperson for the Berea SAPS, Captain Poobalan Naidoo shared a few practical tips should anyone be faced with the two dangerous situations:
“In many instances, injuries and deaths are the result of inconsiderate conduct by the victims themselves. There are certain guidelines that could increase a victim’s chances of survival and decrease the risk of being humiliated, experiencing discomfort or injury,” he said.
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He said it is important to know what to expect as a victim:
– People who are taken hostage or hijacked tend to experience feelings of anxiety, shock, disbelief and confusion.
“This first reaction usually leads to resistance or retaliation, which could have fatal consequences. Prepare to be alone and isolated from your family, friends or loved ones, and to lose track of time and place,” he said.
– Know what to expect of the perpetrators
– They could be tense, anxious and nervous
– They could display a tendency to overreact
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Do’s
» Do everything the perpetrators tell you to do.
» Try, at all times, to maintain your pride, dignity and self-respect.
» Keep your brain active by playing games in your mind (mind games), daydreaming and reading whatever you are offered.
» To maintain your physical strength, you should eat the food provided by your captor(s).
» Try to maintain a sense of humour, but never ridicule the aggressors.
» Try to remain orientated regarding your movements, directions, time and place.
» Try to maintain a routine and exercise, if circumstances permit.
» Allow yourself to be led by your captor(s).
» Try to remain cool and calm.
» Fall flat and remain down during the relieving attack.
Do not:
» At any time, become panic-stricken or hysterical.
» Offer any form of resistance
» Become abusive, aggressive or lose your temper.
» Threaten or provoke the captor(s).
» Try to be a hero.
» Engage in an argument with the captor(s).
» Engage in any whispered conversations with the perpetrators.
» Use foreign concepts of language, as this could raise the captor’s suspicions.
» Make demands.
» Be sympathetic toward your captor’s cause.
» Try to escape, as this could put you at risk.
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