How to Avoid Being Taken Hostage

A hostage situation is one of the most harrowing experiences you can go through. The dangers of physical injury, psychological stress and emotional trauma can endure for years after the hostage situation has ended. The best way to solve a hostage situation is to avoid being taken hostage in the first place. Follow these steps to keep yourself and those you know from being taken hostage.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. This is one of the simplest elements of personal security protocol, but it is also the one that criminologists and security experts stress the most. In most hostage situations, the hostage takers conduct weeks-long observation and intelligence. Keep your eyes peeled at all times and note anything that seems out of the ordinary.
2. Stay away from political hot spots. Most hostage situations take place in politically unstable areas such as parts of the Middle East, Asia and South America. Even though hostage situations in these regions occur for many different reasons, the common factor between them is that they happen in regions of political instability. Before you travel to one of these areas, check with the State Department for advisories and travel with someone who knows the place.
3. Secure your home and workplace. Hostage situations that occur in a domestic setting usually begin at a home or workplace. Protecting your home and workplace is as much about vigilance as it is about physical security. Making sure the dead-bolt is locked is just as important as having a reliable deadbolt, so secure your premises to avoid a hostage situation.
4. Be prepared to respond and escape. The first few minutes of a hostage taking attempt are the most critical to the hostage's survival. Carrying a cell phone is a major advantage in preventing someone from taking you or someone else hostage. Being able to quickly call the police will help authorities intercept the attempt or, in the worst case, quickly track the hostages in the case of success. Also, carrying pepper spray or violence-reducing weapons is a way to beef up deterrence that can prevent a hostage situation from being successful.