A tiger kidnapping or tiger robbery is a crime in which an abduction forms part of a robbery.[1] A person of importance to the victim is held hostage as collateral until the victim has met the criminal's demands.
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Etymology
It is called a tiger kidnapping because of the predatory stalking that precedes it; the crime often requires considerable inside information about the target.[2][3] Police have identified highly organised Irish paramilitary training camps that prepare potential tiger kidnappers; one witness stated that trainees operate so cohesively that they are comparable to a SWAT team.[4]
Origins
The practice began as a twist on a tactic used by the Irish Republican Army, which kidnapped people in order to coerce them into placing car bombs.[5]
The first recorded crime that can be described as a tiger kidnapping occurred in 1972,[6] but the term was coined in the 1980s and gained more widespread use in the following decade. Since tiger kidnapping is technically two crimes committed in tandem, statistics regarding their occurrence are difficult to compile. Tiger kidnappings have occurred in several jurisdictions, but are more common in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Belgium.[3] Examples include the Northern Bank robbery and Bank of Ireland robbery.[7] According to International Herald Tribune, tiger kidnappings "have become common in Ireland, a close-knit society where criminals can closely track their targets" and "they have typically involved thefts below €1 million."[7] After the 2009 Bank of Ireland robbery, Charlie Flanagan, a member of the Irish Parliament, remarked that “tiger kidnappings are taking place in Ireland... at a rate of almost one per week.”[8]
Countermeasures
Businesses can take several steps to guard against these such as mandating that two or more people must work in tandem in order to open sensitive areas such as bank vaults and cash boxes.[5]
Influence on modern culture
The movies Bandits, Firewall and Intermission dramatize tiger kidnappings.
References
- ^ "Pair escape 'tiger kidnap' ordeal". BBC News. 2007-07-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6920668.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ "'Big rise' in NI kidnap robberies". BBC News. 2006-11-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6124272.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ a b "Tiger kidnap - the threat to the UK banking sector". Control Risks Group Limited. 2007. http://www.crg.com/pdf/tiger_kidnap_report_LR.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ Mooney, John (2006-12-31). "Balkan training for Tiger kidnap gangs". The Sunday Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article1265444.ece. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ a b IRELAND -The Latest 'Tiger Kidnapping' Trend. OffNews.info Accessed March 2, 2009.
- ^ Summers, Chris (2008-01-28). "Can 'tiger kidnappings' be prevented?". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7154374.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ a b 7 arrested after Irish bank heist. International Herald Tribune. Published March 1, 2009.
- ^ 7 Arrests After Ireland’s Biggest Bank Heist. By Robert Mackey. The New York Times. Published February 28, 2009.
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