Tiger Kidnapping
is a crime in which an abduction forms part of a robbery. A person of importance
to the victim is held hostage as collateral until the victim has met the criminal's
demands. It is called a tiger kidnapping because of the
predatory stalking that precedes it; the crime often requires considerable inside
information about the target. 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.
The 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. The first recorded crime that can be described as a tiger kidnapping occurred
in 1972, 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. Examples include the Northern Bank robbery and Bank
of Ireland robbery. 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.
"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.”
References
1. "Pair escape
'tiger kidnap' ordeal". BBC News. 2007.
2. "'Big rise'
in NI kidnap robberies". BBC News. 2006.
3.
Mooney, John (2006-12-31). "Balkan training for Tiger kidnap gangs"
4. IRELAND -The Latest
'Tiger Kidnapping' Trend