Introduction
Hostage negotiation is a crisis negotiation technique that involves communication with people who are threatening to inflict harm on defenceless civilians. The negotiations are usually between the hostage taker and the authority. A police psychologist can play the role of primary negotiator or advisor in a hostage crisis. A hostage negotiator is a specially trained law enforcement officer whose job is to diffuse situations that may have otherwise turned out hazardous. The police psychologist never works alone but is always part of the rescue team which may be the FBI, or the Police. An ideal negotiation is one whereby all hostages are ...