Under Siege

by Belinda Neil

  Many years later, when I no longer had work to keep me busy, the images of the distress in Grace’s face, her bloodstained shirt and my feeling of utter helplessness as she was being stabbed would come flooding back. I had not given myself the chance to process any of these awful images and they were now building up in my internal image library. This would eventually take its toll.

  CHAPTER

  10

  Par for the course

  Over the next few months I was called to attend various negotiator situations and assisted at a negotiators’ course at Goulburn Police Academy. Helping out as a role player for the practical exercises on the course was a form of training in itself. I could be asked to play a depressed or suicidal person, an armed offender, a hostage or hostage taker. Psychiatrists advised us how to carry out the role with information about the behaviour and expectations of people in these situations. Later, when attending various callouts, I had a better appreciation of the fears, anger, loneliness and sadness they might be feeling. Showing compassion that is genuine is a key ingredient to establishing rapport. Secondly, and very importantly, by playing these roles and speaking with trainee police negotiators I could still learn positive things to say and what not to say during negotiations, and learn from the trainees’ mistakes.

  In late 1996 I was selected to undergo a two-week accelerated mediation training course with the Community Justice Centre (CJC). Funded by the NSW government, the CJC provides free mediation to help resolve disputes ranging from family issues to neighbour disputes and conflicts in the workplace. The last time negotiators were invited to participate in this course had been in 1988, so I felt fortunate to be involved.

  The intention of this course was to complement our negotiator training, as mediation is a different way of resolving conflict. Negotiation is very focused on actively finding solutions with the other party, including using skills to influence the thinking and behaviour of others. The negotiator is a problem solver. The mediator, on the other hand, is a facilitator. Mediation involves exploring perceptions and acknowledging emotions, which can sometimes assist with psychological release. It focuses on the necessity for the other parties to identify the issues, develop options and make decisions themselves, the principle being that anyone involved in the decision making is more likely to stay with the outcome, rather than having a solution imposed.

  In 1996 I started a Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution, which included negotiation, crisis negotiation and advanced mediation. This complemented the CJC mediation training. I found the principles of mediation, including having a person take ownership for bringing about a solution, another tool I could use in my work. I had the opportunity to put the CJC training and my course into practice in January 1997.

  About 7.30am on the morning of Friday 17th I was called out as a negotiator to a suicide intervention at Lighthouse Reserve, Vaucluse. I was on standby for court this day so was wearing a very smart navy dress, pearls and shoes. Not particularly suitable attire for a negotiator callout, but I felt I would only be there for a couple of hours to assist the team until I was called to attend court. At that stage there were only two negotiators and the Police Rescue Squad.

  I saw a man sitting on the wrong side of the fence near the edge of the cliff, facing out to sea. We did not know who he was or why he was there at that stage. My offsider Megan introduced herself and starting talking to the man while I retained the role of team leader. For the next couple of hours it was a one-sided conversation. The man didn’t even turn his head to look at us but remained sitting on the ledge, staring out towards the sea. I could now see that this was going to be a lengthy negotiation, so we called in the rest of the team.

  For five hours we alternated between negotiators to talk with the man, in the hope that one of us would establish a connection with him. My court matter had been adjourned so I could also try to talk to the man, and again it was a one-sided conversation. It was too dangerous a situation for Rescue Squad police to go over the fence with a safety harness; as the man was sitting right on the ledge and might jump before they could get to him.

  Even though he wouldn’t speak to us, at least he was still alive. However, one of our consulting psychiatrists told the negotiating team to start mentally preparing for the worst. The information we now had about our man made the situation even more dangerous. His name was John and he was a systems analyst who worked for a government department and was heavily involved with Australia’s defence system. He had made a mistake at work involving various components within our defence system, and felt the only way out was to commit suicide by throwing himself off the cliff. At the same time, he was also the only person who could fix the problem.

  Over the next few hours we were able to get some information from John, but the negotiations were still very one-sided. We were able to place food and water over the fence, making sure he knew we were not going to try and seize him. To provide him with food and water was important. It was a hot summer’s day and we were concerned that he might become dehydrated, faint, or lose the ability to properly concentrate and thus make a reckless decision to end his life.

  Fortunately one of John’s work superiors arrived. We did not tell John this as we were unsure of his reaction and we didn’t want to risk upsetting him. This superior not only wanted John back at work but was prepared to do everything in his power to get him any help he needed as he was a highly valued worker. This was fantastic news to us and definitely information we could use in our negotiations.

  While the advice from the psychiatrist had been to prepare for him to jump I still felt positive that while he was still sitting on that ledge we had a chance. We decided I should get closer to him, making it easier to talk to him rather than being a face calling out from behind the fence. I needed to wear the safety harness to go over the fence, which would not have worked with the dress I was wearing, so I borrowed a pair of grey overalls from one of our technical police.

  It took careful negotiation just to let John know I was coming over the fence with another bottle of water so he wouldn’t be spooked, think I was trying to rescue him, and jump. I made it very clear I was going to sit on one of the rocks near him, just out of arm’s reach.

  I might add here I do not like heights, not one bit. Every year on the negotiator’s course the commander organises a climb over the Harbour Bridge for new negotiators to get used to heights and the Bridge in case they are called out to a suicide intervention there. Luckily for me this was brought in after I completed the three-year negotiator course, and I respectfully declined or became scarce whenever the subject came up.

  As I climbed the fence I continued reassuring John about what I was doing so he would not become agitated. I could now clearly see he was sitting on a rock right at the edge of the cliff, his legs hanging over. I think that once he saw the fear in my face he realised I was speaking the truth and was happy for me to stay close but just out of reach. I could now have a more intimate conversation with him, with more chance to ascertain his emotions and explore his thinking.

  We sat and talked for some time. I could see that John appeared very embarrassed by his situation, being proud of his professionalism at work but so humiliated about his mistake that he could see no way out but to commit suicide. This was a perfect situation for the use of mediation techniques, as John needed to be involved in solving the problem for himself. He had to make a decision and he would certainly not be coerced into it. I reflected back to John the important points he made and asked him questions intended to explore his own emotions and feelings.

  Finally John decided to come back from the edge of the cliff to try and resolve his situation. I was almost caught off guard as I had expected to be sitting on that rock for a lot longer. However, he was still in a very precarious position, seated on a rock on a very small cliff ledge with his legs hanging over the cliff face. He had been sitting there for some time so I was watching him intently as we both went to stand up. At this point I was still out o
f arm’s reach as the rope for the safety harness was still tied off on the fence.

  Then John tripped. The bottle of water I had given him had been just near his feet and he must have knocked it and trodden on it when he stood up.

  It felt like slow motion. He was so close to the edge I automatically put my arm out and went for him but the rope and safety harness stopped me. I was simply too far away. In my mind’s eye I saw him go over the edge …

  I still don’t know how he did it, but he was able to steady himself. We looked at each other and both knew how close he had come to ‘accidentally’ falling off the edge of the cliff face. We then walked back to the fence together and he climbed over it to safe ground. Shortly after, he was taken to the local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

  The team was elated at the result, especially after we had been mentally preparing ourselves for the prospect that he would commit suicide in front of us. I still don’t believe there is really any way to prepare yourself for seeing that, except perhaps treating the psychological after-effects. I believe that even if you do everything possible to prevent it, if someone really wants to end their life, they will.

  This mentally exhausting negotiation lasted about ten hours. I later found that the top of my back was blistered from exposure to the sun. My concentration had been such that I hadn’t even noticed that my skin was burning and certainly hadn’t thought to ask for sunscreen.

  In 1995 the head of the Hostage Negotiation Unit, Israeli Police Commander Eli Landau, visited Australia and took part in a number of NSW training courses and lectures. Mr Landau, who had travelled all over the world in the study of hostage negotiation, stated, ‘Although you may not have the experience with terrorists, I think the way Australian Police negotiation is organised and run is the best in the world.’ For someone so experienced in counter-terrorism to give such high commendation is testament to the experience of the trainers and training programs run not only in NSW but Australia-wide.

  In December 1996 I was selected to attend a counterterrorist negotiator course run by the Standing Advisory Committee on Commonwealth/State Cooperation for Protection Against Violence (SAC-PAV). This was established after the Hilton Hotel bombing in 1978, providing a formal mechanism to develop responses to terrorism. The course was hosted by the Victorian Police and was held in Melbourne. Invitations were extended to each of the police forces in Australia, and sixteen participants would be selected. Goody, my negotiation team leader, was the other participant from NSW.

  We were to fly to Melbourne on 8 December and return on the 14th. However, in the meantime I found out I had to give evidence at the committal proceedings of Graham Mailes for the murder of Kim Meredith. If I had to go to Albury during the week of the course, I wouldn’t be allowed to start it. Fortunately I gave my evidence on Friday 6 December and spent Saturday driving the 570 kilometres home to pack and fly to Melbourne on Sunday.

  I was finally at the airport ready to depart. I put my bag on the conveyor belt to go through the security check and walked through the metal detector. As I went to pick up my bag a security guard stopped me.

  ‘Excuse me, ma’am. Do you have any bullets in your bag?’

  What? I thought. I was mortified.

  I quickly said, ‘I’m a police officer,’ in case he thought I was a potential armed offender and decided to arrest me on the spot. ‘I must have left them in there when I was packing.’

  He took a look at my police identification and I saw him glance behind me. I think my companions had also acted very quickly, also producing their police identification badges. I was very embarrassed but quickly checked my bag. Yes there was a ‘speed strip’ containing five .38 calibre bullets, which would have been very obvious on the security screen.

  So here I was off to a counter-terrorist course carrying hollow point bullets onto a plane. Not a good look. Fortunately this was before 9/11, otherwise I am sure I would have been arrested first and asked questions later.

  The problem now, apart from embarrassing myself in front of the commander, was what to do with the bullets. I could not throw them away, and I couldn’t take them with me. Fortunately one of my colleagues wives offered to take them home with her.

  The counter-terrorist negotiators’ course is aimed at developing the negotiation skills necessary for handling prolonged and complex international terrorist incidents. CT negotiators negotiate on behalf of the prime minister or state premier and on behalf of state governments when there is a terrorist incident. In normal domestic situations, police negotiate on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.

  An Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) representative spoke about current potential threats; Stephen Romano, an international consultant from the FBI, discussed the lessons learned from the Waco (1993) and Freeman (1996) sieges. (The Waco siege had occurred after a shootout between the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and members of a religious cult when the ATF tried to arrest their leader, David Koresh, and senior members on firearms warrants. A fifty-one-day siege ensued with the FBI. A tactical assault with CS gas was authorised and during the raid it is believed that cult members set fire to the compound, resulting in the deaths of seventy-six people. The Freeman siege involved a group who believed they were a law unto themselves. A siege developed after the FBI went to execute arrest warrants. After an eighty-one-day siege sixteen people surrendered peacefully.) There were also lectures on the current Australian government counter-terrorism policy, negotiation team management and strategy development. We received instruction on the differences between domestic and counter-terrorist negotiations and between criminal hostage takers and terrorists. Terrorists have a political agenda, not a personal one, and may be prepared to risk their lives, and terrorist hostage incidents are by their political nature very complex.

  We were divided into groups and given a terrorist-hostage-taking scenario with various instructions that we would brainstorm. These included preparing opening statements for the primary negotiator; developing strategies for responding to questioning by the hostage taker over initial demands; discussing issues or problems that might face negotiators and identifying resources available to negotiators. We would then present our findings to the class.

  We then had a two-day terrorist-hostage-taking practical exercise where we were divided into negotiating teams of four people, each taking it in turns to be the primary negotiator. It was a very psychologically demanding and realistic exercise. Initially I was quite nervous. Not only was I going to have to use all my negotiating and communication skills, but I was being observed and evaluated as a future CT negotiator. There was also some professional interstate rivalry and I did not want to let the NSW side down. As time went on I became too focussed to worry about nerves, intent on listening to the terrorist to ensure I heard and interpreted his views, his thoughts, his emotions and his demands, as well as gathering as much intelligence as possible. I was trying to think one step ahead, being prepared with appropriate responses, and carrying out my own strategies and advice from the negotiation team. It was an exhausting course altogether, and I was very glad to see the end of the two-day exercise.

  Under the auspices of SACPAV, in line with Australia’s antiterrorist arrangements, there are two major National Anti-Terrorist Exercises (NATEX) held each year. Participants in these counter-terrorist exercises are a multi-agency group, including police, fire and rescue, ambulance, Australian Federal Police, ASIO, Australian Defence Force and government ministers. These exercises are vital to maintain and continually hone the skills of those involved.

  At the beginning of August 1997 I was involved in a SACPAV exercise in Adelaide, where I was to play the role of a terrorist. There were at least three of us who were role-playing as terrorists with a number of hostages. I knew we would be in the stronghold for two to three days so had packed clothes and extra food accordingly. We were based on a property with a number of buildings and only one road leading in, otherwise we were surround
ed by water. By blocking the entrance to that road we were effectively cut off and on our own little island.

  We ‘terrorists’ took the hostages, firing shots to injure or kill various persons, and barricaded ourselves on the island. I was interested to see how the time factor worked: the time taken by Tactical police to organise their equipment and cover the perimeters, and for CT negotiators to get enough information to make a telephone call to us, was much longer than we had anticipated. Over the next two days, at all hours, each terrorist spoke with CT negotiators by phone. We had a separate telephone in the stronghold used to relay messages between the exercise organisers and ourselves. Sometimes the exercise organisers told us to apply pressure on the CT negotiators during the course of negotiations, at other times they told us to test the surveillance teams, including both the Tactical police units and the Australian Defence Force. On these occasions we might be asked to go for a walk outside the compound to see if the surveillance teams could detect anything.

  I found playing the role of a terrorist an amazing learning experience. By the second evening, after very little sleep and no shower, I was looking forward to seeing how the exercise would be resolved, knowing I would finally be seeing Australia’s elite Special Air Service (SAS) in action. Prior to their arrival we had instructors come into the stronghold and place us in various rooms, some terrorists in rooms with hostages, a terrorist by himself, and hostages by themselves. I was in a room with another terrorist and a hostage. All us terrorists were armed with fake rifles and various firearms.

  And then we heard the Black Hawks. We had been given a few pairs of night-vision goggles so we could see the descent of the Black Hawk helicopters and the SAS operatives. Watching them come in for an assault under the cover of darkness was absolutely amazing; they are an extraordinarily professional unit.