A kidnapper’s phone call announcing that a family member or employee has been abducted is the stuff of nightmares – as is the eye-watering ransom demand that often accompanies this news. How should you respond?. Without a police force able to help, you will need to negotiate to get your loved one back. So, what is the “right” price for their life?
Depending on how the victim’s representatives respond, the kidnappers will either revise the ransom upwards or downwards. If they are offered a large amount, say a million dollars, straight away, the kidnappers will believe there is a lot more they can extract. By contrast, a swiftly agreed, overgenerous ransom puts a bulls-eye target on your wider family, your firm’s other employees , and fellow nationals. News of easy profits spread quickly in criminal communities and can cause local or regional kidnapping booms.is an excellent example. Somalis had hijacked a few ships a year for decades, releasing hostages after a few months for low six-figure sums.
When foreigners are abducted in a kidnap prone area, there is often another actor and that’s the professional ransom negotiator. For kidnap insurers it is of paramount importance that hostage markets develop norms of non-violence and ways of negotiating ransoms that facilitate swift and reliable releases – while at the same time ensuring that kidnapping is not an easy way to riches.