Countering Kidnapping in a Globalised World: a critical analysis of the production, transfer and application of high security knowledge

This thesis provides an investigation of the production, transfer and application of the knowledge associated with counter-kidnap. I examine the processes and contexts that shape transnational knowledge transfer and its application. As far as I am aware, this qualitative research is the first one adding an empirical detail to our understanding of these processes with respect to kidnappings for ransom. The first two parts of the thesis provide a breakdown of the information provided by formal counter-kidnap documents, other ways of transferring high-security knowledge, and their barriers. A number of formal institutions and processes exist for transferring knowledge and practices around mitigating serious crime and I explain in detail in which respects they can be problematic. The third part identifies an implementation gap, since local practices and processes impede transnational initiatives. I discuss the effects of the specific police sub-culture which hinders the transfer and application of the relevant knowledge. In the final part I review the so-called risk management companies, which represent a fairly new private field responding to kidnapping risks, both preventatively and reactively. I suggest that the emergence of these companies results from the high prices of knowledge transfer and inter-institutional barriers to that transfer, as well as the poor outcomes of the responses to kidnappings by the public sector. The overall picture emerging is that the transfer of high-security information is not as fluid as we might think. There are informal processes and practices that influence the transfer and application of knowledge and my data demonstrate the detail and complexity around the type of knowledge work police engage in.