‘TIGER kidnappings’ on both sides of the border could be solved by the use of a profiling method, a psychologist has said.
Dr John Synnott, an investigative psychology lecturer at the University of Huddersfield, has said a study focussing on “geographical profiling” could be used by the PSNI and Garda to identify those behind serious crimes including tiger kidnappings.
The crime involves family members being held hostage while a victim – often an employee of a business – is taken to help assist theft of cash or valuable items.
Dr Synnott’s research – published in the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling - focussed on the crime following a series of tiger kidnappings across Ireland over several years.
He interviewed dozens of convicted criminals to identity a method police could use to spot patterns of behaviour that could be used by investigators.
“One of the hallmark features of this crime is the vast number of individual locations which are incorporated within the offence,” Dr Synnott said.
“As a consequence, these features facilitate the possibility of a systematic analysis of the locations used and the spatial processes inherent to them”.
Using the interviews and data provided by the PSNI and Garda, he also spotted differences in tiger kidnappings depending on which side of the border they occur.
He found northern kidnappers are mainly ex-paramilitaries who kept victims hostage in their own homes, while in the south victims are often moved great distances from their homes while robberies occurred.
Dr Synnott said his findings could be used to expand on geographic profiling of criminals.
“For example, understanding where offenders travel to after crime and why they might choose one location over another,” he added.
