Preparation is SAFETY

You’re driving down a street in São Paulo, Brazil and you are no more than five minutes from your home when you notice that you are being followed. Suddenly, the car passes you and abruptly pulls in front of your car causing you to slam on your brakes.

Four men jump out with firearms and approach you. Frozen with fear you sit there not being able to move or speak. They forcibly remove you from the driver’s seat, bind your hands, duct tape your mouth, blindfold you and throw you into the trunk of their car. You then feel the car exhilarate down the road at a high speed, taking you to some remote location.

You have just been abducted – and yes, it can happen that quickly.

They take you to some unknown location where they throw you into a small room. They call your family and company to negotiate a price for your release. You can’t sleep of course, but what seems to be days later, they inform you that a price has been agreed upon and you will be released. Feeling somewhat relieved inside, they blindfold you again, and throw you back in the trunk of the car. They drive you to another remote location of town where they dump you, leaving it up to you to find your way back home. Before they take off, you are warned that if you say a word to police about what just happened, they will find you again and you and your family will be killed. You lay on the ground in total disbelief as they speed away and some hours later you gain enough courage to remove the blindfold and start to regain back your freedom that was violently ripped from you the day before.

Believe it or not, you were very lucky. You escaped relatively unharmed and lived to tell your tale. Many people each year are not as lucky, so goes the unfortunate business of kidnapping.

Between 1994 and 2002, a study by Control Risks Group found that nearly 13,000 kidnap-for-ransom cases were reported around the world, although that number may not even represent the full extent of the problem. Kidnapping has become a highly profitable business practice, especially in Central and South America, where groups can earn hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom each year.

Willis Group Holding Limited, a global insurance broker, explains in a released statement, “The challenge for Western companies with employees in volatile environments is how to protect themselves and their employees from this risk. Because a global economy demands global operations – it is unlikely that Western corporations will “pull up the drawbridge” and stay home for the duration. But, organizations doing business in foreign lands should recognize that Kidnapping and Ransom risks are on the rise.”

So, how do Western companies handle this problem? Well, recognizing that kidnapping is a major issue for expatriates is a good place to start and admitting that it could happen is the first step of many in prevention. The sooner companies have their employees realize that being in a foreign country can be very dangerous and situations can blindly arise, the better off and safer they will be.

Below are some preventative steps that companies can teach their employees in order for them to avoid risky and deadly situations:

• Avoid drawing attention to yourself by dressing simply, removing all jewelry and by limiting the amount of money you keep with you.



• Vary your routine daily and avoid areas where you can be cornered.



• Avoid traveling alone. When venturing out, stay in groups of two or more.



• Travel in well-lit areas.



• If you do feel threatened, head to a public place immediately.



• Carry a cell phone with you at all times and have the emergency number easily assessable.



• Know the area and be aware of its dangerous locations.



• Trust your instincts, always.

According to the Chubb Group, Executive Risk Division, planning ahead means making the following preparations:

• Establish a corporate crisis management team made up of three core people – the ultimate decision maker (the CEO or his designee), the coordinator (the corporate security director, risk manager or chief international operations director) and the general counsel. It may also include a finance officer (in case ransom funds are needed), a personnel specialist (for the families needs) and a public relations specialist (to handle the media’s inquiries).



• Create a communications infrastructure so field managers know who is on the crisis management team and how to notify them the moment an emergency occurs.

Nick Cheesman, Regional General Manager for Crown Relocations in Latin America expresses, “As a relocation company, we try to encourage our clients to be proactive rather than reactive, but cost cutting is common in business and modular security and security courses are some of the first things to go. However, it is a fine balance between preparing someone for a touchy situation and scaring them into refusing to relocate.”

Cheesman has seen his fair share of difficult spots, including one client whose employee in Brazil was making changes that were not popular with the local Brazilians. Cheesman, whose role was to act as a sympathizer and go-between, received a call warning him that the employee would be taken later that day due to his company’s business actions in the region.

Springing into action, in conjunction with the expats own company, Cheesman was able to have the employee and his wife on a plane and out of the country within three hours. This was only accomplished because both Crown and its client were prepared for such an emergency.

Though many of these examples and situations take place in Latin and South America, citizens being kidnapped are not restricted to those places. In fact, this has been known to happen all around the world. Joining Columbia, Mexico and Brazil in the ten most frequent places kidnapping of expats occurs, is the Philippines, the former Soviet Union, Nigeria and India.

Because of this growing trend and monetary opportunity for some, security is a necessity for international companies. If they reduce the chances of employee kidnappings, it will also help the reduction of other frequent crimes against expats such as robbery and assault. Educating your staff in this area is one of the best tools you can provide them. As always, prevention of a situation prior to it occurring is a more sound policy than reacting to a situation once it has happened.

Control Risks Group, the leading specialist in international business risk consultancy, explains that no matter what precautions you take, crime can still happen. They explain that the three main things to remember if attacked are:

1) Remain calm.

2) Pay close attention.

3) Follow all instructions given by the kidnappers.

They also advise that once you are moved to a remote area, you should try and gain your senses and estimate the time of day or night. Also, try to memorize any useful information about your captors, be it physical features or specifics about the captivity location. Remember, this is a business for them and your healthy return will help them garner more money for your release.

According to the Crisis Management team for AIG Europe S.A., an organization specializing in asset protection for major and multinational companies, if an unfortunate abduction should take place, the company of the employee should take negotiations seriously – this can increase the chances of the victim being able to make it home alive. And, have access to an experienced negotiator because this is crucial since these experts have the ability to react swiftly to a kidnap situation. These consultants are seasoned professionals and in the event of a crisis, their calming influence and voice of experience can be as important as their negotiation skills.

AIG also explains that the main principle is to not pay too quickly. While this may seem to be delaying the safe return of the victim, in actuality it ends up speeding up the process. A quick payment gives the kidnappers the opportunity to view the money as a down payment rather than a full payment and will lead to them asking for more money. The kidnappers need to believe that whatever payment is made will be the most they could possibly get from the family.

Once the consultant has taken charge of the situation, contact will be made with the kidnapper so a proof of life can be provided. This will then begin negotiations with the kidnappers for a ransom amount and requires patience for both the negotiator and the family. A relationship with the local authorities is also built as the situation escalates so their help rectifying the situation will be available.

All of these steps will lead to the final stages where a ransom amount is set and a delivery point is determined. An exchange is then set for a specific time and place where the money is then exchanged for the victim. The successful completion of this exchange will complete the goals of the incident response – to secure the safe release of the victim while continuing to support the victim’s family and the rest of the company.

The underlying theme behind all of this information is preparation. If an employee and his/her company understand that dangerous situations in foreign lands can occur then they can properly prepare prior to such an incident which can greatly reduce the chances of it happening.

If the old saying “Knowledge is Power” is true, then a new one, “Preparation is Safety,” can’t be too far behind.