When seconds count… Meet the dedicated team tasked with responding to critical events such as hostage incidents, barricade incidents and attempted suicides.
By: ASP Chong Woon Jeck, Christabelle Lim and Domnic Dass
When things are at the breaking point, lives are at stake and you need a calm, steady presence on the scene… Who’re you gonna call?
The Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU) of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) is tasked with responding to critical events such as hostage incidents, barricade incidents and attempted suicides. During these challenging situations, communication skills and specialised training can save lives and bring about other positive outcomes.
The Laju Incident
The CNU traces its roots back to one of the defining moments in Singapore’s early years as a nation, the hijacking of the Laju ferry on 31 January 1974. Following an attack at the Shell refinery on Pulau Bukom, four armed terrorists managed to hijack the ferry boat Laju at the jetty and held its five crew members hostage.
Intercepted by Police vessels, the hijackers stopped the ferry in the waters of the Eastern Anchorage. After eight days of tense negotiations with the authorities, the hijackers agreed to release the hostages in exchange for safe passage to the Middle East.
The successful conclusion of the hijacking, with no loss of life, highlighted the critical importance of specialised negotiation skills in resolving complex, high-risk situations. In the wake of the Laju incident, the SPF began to build up its capabilities to conduct such operations, and in 1984, the Negotiation Team was formed to respond to terrorist and criminal hostage incidents.
From Negotiation Team to CNU
In May 2002, the Negotiation Team was formalised as the CNU, and came under the administrative command of the Special Operations Command (SOC).
This arrangement allowed for greater synergy and responsiveness between the CNU and SOC units such as the Police Tactical Unit and the Special Tactics and Rescue Unit.
Since the formation of the CNU, its responsibilities have expanded to include responding to crises such as suicide intervention, barricade situations, civil disobedience, and kidnapping. CNU officers are now drawn from various Police units and undergo intensive training, assessments, and exercises. They also need to possess essential attributes such as empathy and active listening.
With their specialised skills, our dedicated CNU officers have helped to save lives, lend support to those in distress and resolved numerous cases without incident. So now you know – when the pressure’s on, the CNU is ready to do its part!
Read on the find out what it takes to be a CNU officer, and the other units of the SOC, the UN Peacekeeping Force, the Special Women Task Team, the K-9 Unit and the STAR Unit!
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