Weapons expert explains the pitfalls of taking hostages: “Tactical violence is never the first choice”

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The situation at Hamburg airport was very tense. A Turkish man (35) held his daughter (4) hostage in a car on the airport platform for 18 hours. It has now become known: the hostage situation was ended after 6 p.m. The man holding his child was arrested.

The incident also shocked the internet. Lars Winkelsdorf (46), German weapons expert and journalist, explains on the platform how difficult police work is when a hostage is taken and what technical obstacles arise.

“It is of no use to a hostage if the perpetrator is hit anywhere on the body.” As a rule, he can still act, i.e. pull the trigger or plan other devices, Winkelsdorf explains. The police must therefore ensure that an action results in the perpetrator becoming completely incapacitated. In concrete terms: a single shot that eliminates any possibility of further action. But this is only the last resort.

The negotiations took place in Hamburg

In the Hamburg case, the police relied on a negotiated solution. Discussions with the man followed, which were experienced as positive. After 6 hours, the negotiating group apparently managed to build a relationship of trust with the 35-year-old and persuaded him to give up. There was no demand for money from the man, police spokeswoman Sandra Levgrün told the dpa news agency at the airport.

According to the U.S. Office of Justice Programs, which has carefully examined and categorized hostage response practices, saving life should always be the overriding principle. Time is the most important factor when dealing with a hostage situation. The negotiators must slowly establish communication with the hostage taker. This of course also happened in the Hamburg case.

“Tactical violence is never the first choice”

Most experts agree that tactical force is the last option in a hostage situation, assuming none of the hostages are injured. The longer a hostage situation lasts, the greater the pressure often becomes to increase the continuum of violence. And even then, according to Winkelsdorf, the threshold for a precision shot is extremely high.

“The first shot with a precision rifle goes somewhere else because the barrel is still cold. Due to the heating, the next shots will have a different impact point.” So you should always train with a cold weapon. Due to the constant cooling, such precise shots can only be trained to a limited extent.

Another hurdle is a target’s mobility, which you always have to take into account – and therefore the target needs to be adjusted from different angles. Because so much can go wrong, this solution is never the first choice, writes Winkelsdorf. “So it must be clear why it took so long in Hamburg and why it cannot be done easily.” Thanks to professional and careful action, the police managed to end the hostage situation without injuries. (An)

Source: Blick