Role of Criminal Profilers in Crisis Situations

Abstract

Although the first true criminal psychological profile was created less than 70 years ago, and the first unit whose task was to help solve challenging and complicated crimes by analyzing psychological aspects was created about 50 years ago, today we cannot imagine the work of any law enforcement service without the significant contribution of psychological profilers. On the other hand, the number and type of security threats have grown exponentially in the same period, and although it is not possible to react to one part of those threats on time and prevent them, for the other part of those threats there is enough space and time that by engaging profilers, and in certain crisis situations, such as hostage crises, be it terrorist attacks, bank robberies, or other situations in which the perpetrators of such acts take hostages, by engaging a specific subtype of profilers – the negotiators, increase the chances for a peaceful resolution of the crisis situation and prevention of loss of human lives, which is of paramount interest in humane societies. The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of profiler-negotiator in crisis situations with a criminal background, using a hypothetical-deductive model and methods of analysis of primary and secondary sources, as well as qualitative, quantitative, comparative analysis, with the starting hypothesis that using techniques and methods of psychological profiling and negotiations in crisis situations with a criminal basis and background, the probability of a positive outcome, peaceful resolution of the crisis situation and damage control drastically increases