A question I’m asked frequently is what kit do I recommend for long exposure in bad weather. Frequently a negotiator dealing with a person in crisis could be stood in bad weather for hours on end. (Think person in crisis on a motorway bridge in winter).
If you are cold, wet, hungry you will uncomfortable and that will have a massive impact on your ability to concentrate fully on negotiating. You will not be at your best and therefore mistakes could be costly.
I’ll cover what other items I recommend in another post, but for today I’ll go through some clothing.
Anyone that’s been outside in cold or wet weather for extended periods knows how miserable it can be without the correct clothing.
I hate being caught out in the cold or wet so always have an everyday carry kit consisting of warm and waterproof clothing. It also comes in handy for walking my dog….
My personal favourite items come from a British brand called Arktis, I have their Vulcan jacket (insulating layer). This has a durable ripstop fabric and synthetic insulation which is great at keeping the your body heat in.
The outer layer is the Arktis stealth jacket, completely waterproof, breathable, decent hood and has pit vents. It also has decent pockets.
On my feet I wear Härkila Reidmar Mid 2.0 GTX. It’s a heavy duty waterproof and breathable full ankle boot. Solid and dependable especially if needed for muddy field use. Pretty heavy though so not great if walking any distance.
Arktis ripstop combat trousers, waterproof and durable. Excellent bit of kit.
Health warning – The items above have a very police/military style. So consideration should be given to what your appearance looks like to a subject. What does it say about you?
Remember- what you wear can improve or damage rapport with the subject before you even meet them. Is the subject particularly vulnerable? Do they mistrust Police? Have the served in the military? If they have was it a positive experience or negative? Because if they associate you with a negative experience, then you walking up to them wearing tactical gear may immediately damage your chances of building trust before you even open your mouth, especially if they have issues with authority. Or it can help your stance if you are leaning on an authoritive position, some people react well to assumed authority. But choose wisely.
Remember – you want them to like you. If you dress appropriately it can start your negotiation off smother.
However, a lot of negotiation is conducted via a phone or barricade so they may not actually see you anyway.
If it is face to face, I would always recommend being the ‘greyman’. This means being completely non-descript. No badges, nothing that looks like uniform. Nothing that could have a positive/negative connotation.
If this is the case I would recommend decent quality consumer gear. I personally like Northface summit series and their McMurdo parka.
Some jeans if dry, if not I’d choose fallraven trousers. Comfortable and durable. Columbia do a waterproof and insulated boot which is very comfortable and looks non-descript.
Simple woolly hat (sealskinz have a good wolley hat which is waterproof.) I avoid baseball caps or anything that obstructs your face to much. Your facial expressions are nearly as important as your words so don’t cover it up to much.