Negotiating group
The negotiation group (VG) is a special unit of the police . In Germany , the police forces of all federal states and the federal government ( Federal Criminal Police Office ) have one or more negotiating groups. In Austria , too , the police can fall back on several negotiating groups.
Germany
Until 1971 , taking hostages in financial institutions was an unknown crime in Germany . These crimes triggered the establishment of negotiating groups. You negotiate with the perpetrator in order to persuade him to give up, or support other forces in solving the situation.
The members of a negotiation group are police officers who are specially trained and intensively trained in interviewing and psychology . For them it is essential to be able to empathize with the possible actions of the other person. This assessment serves the head of operations as a basis for decisions.
Only police officers who have already gained experience in the police service are used in the VG. In some federal states, the work in the negotiating group is performed as a secondary office.
The area of operation of the negotiating groups today includes the following situations : threats , barricading , attempted suicide , kidnapping , hostage-taking and blackmail
In addition to negotiating with offenders, members of negotiation groups look after the victims and their relatives in such situations. The negotiation group can always be used when people are at least temporarily in an exceptional psychological situation.
As a rule, all of these activities are not carried out by psychologists , as is repeatedly misleading reported in the media or portrayed in crime films. However, psychologists can act as advisory members (mental health consultants) in negotiation groups.
The negotiation group works partly with the special task force (SEK). In some federal states (e.g. Hesse , North Rhine-Westphalia ), the negotiating group, SEK and the mobile task force are combined in a superordinate special unit .
Austria
The negotiating groups were set up in Austria from 1989 onwards at the regional gendarmerie commanders at the time and continue to exist today at the regional police headquarters. There are currently five negotiating groups that can be requested if necessary. A negotiating group consists of an average of 20 people who carry out this activity in addition to their duties as law enforcement officers.
United States
In the United States, a hostage negotiation team was initially set up in 1973 at the New York City Police Department . Such teams later found their way to other police departments and also to the Federal Bureau of Investigation .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Organization chart "Police Headquarters Frankfurt am Main" according to Decree of April 18, 2010 , accessed June 8, 2019
- ↑ Mullins, WC and McMains, MJ: Handbook of police psychology . Ed .: Kitaeff, Jack. Revised ed. Tyler & Francis, New York, NY 2019, ISBN 978-0-429-26410-8 .
- ↑ Jeff Thompson: “Crisis” or “Hostage” Negotiation? The Distinction Between Two Important Terms. March 5, 2014, accessed September 7, 2019 .