Inspector Andy Bisson, the former States police lead on negotiating, says he has dealt with several domestic kidnap cases during his career in Jersey – cases where a suicidal person threatens to kill themselves and take the lives of their children or partner too.
Last year he said there were 31 negotiator deployments but added that in the vast majority of cases in which a negotiator is called upon the situation is resolved before the officer arrives.
‘Suicide intervention is the main reason a negotiator would be deployed both here and in the UK. In Jersey I would say it’s more than 90 per cent,’ he said.
‘In the UK now a negotiator will go to every pre-planned firearms job. They are the only non-lethal option we have.’
This week detectives praised police negotiator Sergeant John Breeze and a 999 operator for their roles in talking to killer Michael Brown (52) after he stabbed his elderly neighbour. The operator and the sergeant were on the phone for about an hour combined.
Detective Inspector Steve Langford, the deputy senior investigating officer on the case, said Sergeant Breeze and the 999 operator played a vital role as armed police officers were scrambled to the scene.
He added: ‘In the 45 minutes that Brown was talking on the phone to the 999 operator, and then in the minutes after when he was talking to the negotiator, unarmed officers were at the scene with the ambulance crew dealing with the victim and key witnesses, cordoning off the road, etcetera. The firearms officers were being briefed and kitting up during this time. As you can imagine, it’s not something that can be done in seconds.’
Inspector Bisson said negotiators use a tool known as the Staircase Method to build trust and a relationship with the other person. They start by actively listening and then showing empathy to their situation. After that a rapport is developed and the negotiator can then begin to influence their behaviour.
‘We are always after a safe resolution but sometimes it might be a delaying tactic because we don’t want a suspect or person coming out until a firearms team is in place,’ the officer added.
‘One of the biggest things when negotiating is that we will not lie to them. If they want a fag or a bag of chips and we say they can have their fag or bag of chips we will make sure there are chips and fags available when they come out. Because, especially in Jersey, the chances are you might end up negotiating with the same person and they’ll just say, “No, because last time you let me down”.’
