The rules of behavior during hostage taking are studied at school, but, unfortunately, in an emergency, not everyone is able to remember and apply them. That is why it is periodically necessary to refresh the memory and repeat the algorithm of actions during any emergency situations.
Why take hostage
Sad as it may seem, terror is spreading farther and farther these days. All kinds of actions are used: starting from explosions in crowded places and ending with the abduction of the latter.
No one can say with certainty that this will not happen to him. Therefore, it is necessary to at least have an idea of which line of behavior to adhere to. The rules of conduct during a terrorist attack and hostage-taking are not very different from each other, but you need to know at least one of them in order to survive yourself and help other people who are near you.
The possibility of a terrorist attack
Recently, there have been more frequent cases of organized terrorist attacks in crowded places.
In order to protect yourself and others, it is necessary to pay attention to suspicious or ownerless items in a timely manner! The first thing to do when such an item is discovered is to report it to the police officer or any official.
What to do after the explosion
If you happen to get into such a situation, then you must follow this algorithm:
- First of all, you need to calm down as much as possible in this situation.
- Next you need to calmly assess the situation. This item is very important, because due to its observance you can save not only your life.
- Moving to the place where the explosion occurred must be extremely careful, without touching the scraps of wires and other damaged structures.
- It is strictly forbidden to use open fire in the room where the explosion occurred. This is due to the fact that there is a high probability of accumulation of gases, which, when in contact with fire, can lead to another explosion.
- If there is a lot of smoke in the room, then it is necessary to protect the respiratory organs with some damp cloth (scarf, towel, clothes).
- It is necessary to verify the presence or absence of communications (voice, radio, telephone).
- If evacuation is carried out, then you need to take documents, valuables, money with you. If this is an apartment, doors, windows are tightly closed in it. Be sure to call the police and notify the neighbors that an evacuation is being carried out.
- If evacuation is not possible, then as many people as possible should be informed about their location. It can be calls, scream.
- After leaving the building, you need to move as far as possible from it, but do not leave anywhere.
- The instructions of the officials must be strictly observed.
Prisoner Syndrome
It is very important to know the rules of behavior during capture as hostages, but you need to consider the psychological side of this situation.
When taken hostage, the victim is afraid of everything: representatives of law enforcement agencies and the abductors themselves. In addition to the seemingly logical fear of criminals, victims often experience no less fear of a possible assault or power operations.
Fear is connected with the fact that kidnappers will use hostages as insurance of their life. The problem also lies in the fact that the latter cannot defend themselves with anything, therefore their position is passive. In this case, the release by law enforcement agencies is even more dangerous than the kidnappers.
Often at school in life safety lessons, the rules of behavior during hostage taking are studied from the defense side and the chances of survival, but in reality there is a psychological dependence of the victim on the terrorist. This happens because the hostages instinctively try to find contact with the abductors, because life depends on the latter.
There are frequent cases where victims warned terrorists of approaching law enforcement agencies or overshadowed themselves. The story reflects an episode that reveals this syndrome well. During the assault, the terrorist took refuge among the victims, and not one of the latter surrendered him. And there seems to be nothing wrong with that, but for the terrorists the hostages are just a bargaining chip to achieve their goal, and they do not feel reciprocal affection.
Psychologists quite specifically refer to the time of the onset of the hostage syndrome, or Stockholm syndrome, after the murder of the first victim.
Depending on the type of personality, each person reacts very peculiarly to a similar situation. But you can still classify the rules of human behavior when taken hostage.
Types of reactions of victims
- A person is in a depressed state, his inner feelings and sufferings overwhelm all other feelings and instincts. This type of people will not remember the rules of conduct when taken hostage by terrorists and will not attempt to escape.
- A person assumes the responsibilities of a leader. Usually he has a stable nervous system, can control his emotions and not give in to panic. Such a person will not only fight for his own life, but also help other people survive.
- Desperate man, powerless over his feelings and emotions. It is this type that provokes panic among all victims, and terrorists to aggression.
Consequences of captivity
Liberation is often not the end of all suffering. It would seem that you can forget about this sad experience and never remember. But this is not so. In people who have been hostages, sleep is disturbed, appetite disappears, depression begins, a person can become self-absorbed, or, conversely, fall into causeless rage.
No psychologist will name the exact symptoms of post-traumatic syndrome, as they are very individual.
Some of those released may survive survivor syndrome. They blame themselves for killing one of the hostages.
You are hostages
No one can be immune from such a situation, which means that you need to learn the rules of conduct when taking hostages. It is also important that the life of the hostage becomes the subject of bidding and manipulation. Therefore, the rules of conduct when taking hostages cannot be ignored, because the life of many people can depend on this.
And one must always be ready, because this moment cannot be predicted. Terrorists or criminals can take hostages both on the street, and in public transport, and in any institution.
Action algorithm
Rules of conduct when taking hostages:
- It is important not to allow for its part actions provoking the abductors to use weapons or other actions that threaten life.
- You can’t meet the captors with your eyes, behave aggressively and defiantly. It is impossible to respond to humiliation and insults as well.
- It is necessary to fulfill all the requirements and requests of the abductors.
- Do not allow life-threatening as well as panic, tantrums.
- Do not arbitrarily do anything. For all desires, you need to ask permission from the abductors (to quench your thirst, relieve your need, lie down, sit down and so on).
- In case of injury, you need to save your strength and reduce movement.
Terrorist actions
Terrorists usually plan to take hostages. The basic rules of behavior are precisely aimed at getting as little as possible under the influence of the kidnappers.
First of all, terrorists will try to morally suppress people in captivity. The demonstration of power and superiority, the moral suppression of the will of victims and intimidation will be used.
In order to suppress the victims, the terrorists act as follows:
- Limit the ability to see and hear.
- All the time the captives of the victim are with their hands, feet, or blindfolded.
- The hostages are not given enough food, they are not provided with enough water.
- Do not give the necessary medicines and smoke.
- Do not care about living conditions.
All of these actions, in aggregate, further aggravate the psychological mood of the hostages, and the terrorists achieve complete submission.
Injury Actions
Nowadays, so many people share the views of terrorism. The rules of conduct during hostage-taking clearly explain how to behave in situations that threaten life and health.
For example, when injured, one cannot ignore the wound. First you need to stop the blood. This can be done by pressing the vein against the protrusion of the bone or by applying a pressure bandage. For the latter, a belt, scarf, or some dense fabric will do. If there is no need to stop the bleeding, then a scarf, cloth, towel or scarf is perfect for dressing.
If there is not enough air
If possible, wear a gauze bandage. If this does not work out, then you need to maximally secure the respiratory organs with the help of some wet tissue. If there is a smell of gas in the room, then the first thing to do is to open all the windows and not use open fire. It is also strictly forbidden to turn on lights or electrical appliances. All this is due to the possibility of an explosion.
No matter how much you would like, but you can’t hope that life will be as comfortable and carefree as possible, and there will be no emergencies in it. Therefore, do not neglect the safety rules, because following them can save many lives. And the main thing is to remember: no matter what happens, you should never lose your head and let panic take over your mind and feelings.