Carrying out a kidnap operation is a complicated and complex task that requires cautious planning and close teamwork. Kidnappers need to know who is worth kidnapping and capable of paying a large ransom. They need to know precisely where that victim will be at a given moment. Potential kidnap victims are studied carefully in order to make certain the target has enough money to pay the ransom or access significant funds.

Kidnappers learn routes and routines of the potential target to see if that person will be in a certain place at a predictable and constant moment. This takes careful preparation and an investment of time for kidnappers. Typically kidnappers conduct surveillance near the target’s hotel, place of business or in-country residence in order to observe him closely, noting movements such as arrivals and departures and routes traveled. Kidnappers recognize that being able to establish where the target will be at a given moment will make the kidnap operation successful. Long before the actual kidnap, the executive would have been placed on pre-kidnap surveillance to determine the importance, scale of effort and the executive’s vulnerability to kidnapping.

Executives on foreign business trips must assume that their patterns are being observed and that kidnappers are looking for weak points and waiting to strike. The first step in planning a kidnapping operation is to come up with a shopping list of three to four possible targets that are capable of paying a huge amount of ransom. Targets are usually Western executives. The pre-kidnap surveillance would focus on the financial capability, hotel or home address and place of work, phone numbers, complete description of the vehicle being used, travel routes, identities of household helpers, drivers and employees and personal security of potential targets. The decisive factor is if the executive is easily accessible, has poor security and favorable ransom potential.

Pre-kidnap surveillance is boring for kidnappers. They assess routines and weak links of the executive target while trying not to draw attention upon themselves. The surveillance assists kidnappers in putting together an action plan on when and how to make a move. They carefully assess the executive’s daily routine, noting times, places and predictability of schedules. If the target keeps a regimented daily routine, the probability of being selected as a target increases considerably. An executive target in a large city is easy to place under surveillance.

Kidnappers try to blend with the crowd so no one gives them a second glance. They may use still and video cameras to conduct the surveillance as well as take notes and draw maps of the target’s routes, hotel or residence. Executives should remain alert and be aware of unusual traffic patterns such as seeing an unidentified person or vehicle on a regular basis, both in the same area and at different locations. In the event executives suspect they are being followed, they are advised to head to the nearest police station or embassy. If such destinations are not in the vicinity, drive to a heavily populated location such as a busy shopping mall, hotel or hospital. Avoid vulnerable and sparsely populated areas. Keep safe and God Speed.

Doc Rogers is the author of the new book entitled: Corporate Executive Protection – A Manual for Inspiring Corporate Bodyguards. Step-by-step instructions on providing corporate executive protection for those new to the industry as well as veterans. Doc is the Director of Diplomatic Protection (DDP) for International Corporate Executive Protection. He is a Certified Protection Specialist and has a Ph.D in Security Administration. Prior to his appointment as DDP for International Corporate Executive Protection he was a former veteran police officer. Doc is widely regarded as the leading authority on Executive Protection In Southeast Asia and India. To learn more about the author and his new book

visit: http://www.international-corporate-executive-protection.com

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