10 months ago
ACP Shalini Sharma: Negotiating Hostage Crises and Suicide Attempts
Imagine a situation where someone is very upset and holding people, or is thinking about hurting themselves.
ACP Shalini Sharma is like a super-listener for the police.
She learned special ways to talk to these people from police in London.
Her job is to talk calmly and understand what they need, like a detective who talks instead of fights.
This helps everyone stay safe, even when things look scary.
She has used these skills many times to help people, like when a man held kids, or when someone wanted to jump from a tall building.
She believes talking and understanding is the best way to save lives.
She even teaches other police officers how to do this important job.
ACP Shalini Sharma, Mumbai Police's first trained negotiator, stresses the importance of negotiation skills in crisis situations.
She underwent specialized training in hostage negotiation and crisis management at New Scotland Yard.
Sharma has successfully handled various incidents, including hostage crises and suicide attempts, emphasizing the goal of saving lives.
She has trained other police officers, including those in the Anti-Terrorist Squad and the National Security Guard.
Sharma highlighted that while negotiation is now part of police training, a dedicated team with clear roles is crucial for effective crisis management.
- Who
- ACP Shalini Sharma, a trained negotiator for the Mumbai Police
- What
- Discussed the importance and tactics of negotiation in hostage and suicide crises, drawing from her experience and training.
- Where
- Mumbai, India (discussing incidents in Powai, Wadala, and her training in London).
- When
- Recently, following the Powai hostage crisis, and referencing past incidents from 2010 to 2022.
- Why
- To highlight the effectiveness of negotiation in de-escalating crises and saving lives, and to emphasize the need for specialized training.
Key facts
- Negotiator's Name
- Shalini Sharma
- Rank
- Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP)
- Specialized Training
- New Scotland Yard (Hostage Negotiation and Crisis Management)
- Notable Cases
- Powai hostage crisis, Wadala suicide attempt (2017), Teen suicide attempt (2012)
- Training Experience
- Trained Mumbai Police, Anti-Terrorist Squad, and National Security Guard (NSG)
Quotes
Shalini Sharma
Assistant Commissioner of Police and Mumbai police's first trained negotiator
“During the Covid lockdown, the UK police came to India and they had some discussion with the National Security Guard (NSG). The UK police asked about me with an NSG official, so NSG contacted me, but I was Covid-positive and was under treatment. But in 2022, the NSG called me again to give negotiation training to their officers and I gave them a training.”
indianexpress.com
“The first two weeks were spent studying in their training school, and later they went under rigorous training with the Scottish police for two months, not just to handle terrorist hostage situations, but also to train them in suicide prevention, kidnapping situations, domestic violence intervention and emotional counselling.”
indianexpress.com
