British expert tells how hostages should have been rescued

MANILA, Philippines – The Manila Police District (MPD) could have confronted the August 23 Manila bus hostage-taking with better equipment and strategies, a British security analyst said.

A total of 8 Hong Kong tourists as well as the hostage-taker, former senior police inspector Rolando Mendoza, were killed in the 11-hour siege of a tourist bus.

Charles Shoebridge, who has worked in counter-terrorism with the British Army and Scotland Yard, told BBC News that there were 10 things that the MPD got wrong in dealing with siege. The article "Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong" is the most shared and 3rd most read story of the BBC News website as of posting time.

Although the Philippine policemen were courageous, he said that they lacked training, equipment and determination.

Shoebridge said the detachment deployed to the Rizal Park was evidently not trained to deal with hostage-taking.

He cited that an officer put some tear gas inside the bus but “to what effect was not clear.”

The Briton elaborated on the MPD’s lack of equipment, saying that they should have brought short submachine guns instead of pistols and assault rifles because they are more apt to use in confined places.

“They had no ladders to get through the windows. They smashed the windows but didn’t know what to do next,” Shoebridge added. “They almost looked like a group of vandals.”

He even mentioned that it took a long time for the policemen to smash the windows of the bus. He said that explosive charges (frame charges) would have knocked broken windows and doors in an instant.

Moreover, the British security expert said that the officers showed their lack of determination when they got out of the bus after Mendoza fired off some gunshots.

“They showed great courage to go on board. It’s very crowded, just one aisle down the middle of the bus. But once you get on board it’s not unexpected you are going to be fired at,” he noted.

“Squads like this have to be made up of very special people, specially trained and selected for their characteristics of courage, determination and aggression. In this case they acted as 99% of the population would have, which was to turn round and get out. They didn't seem to have the necessary determination and aggression to follow the attack through.”

Lost opportunities



Shoebridge then mentioned that the MPD missed several chances in the hostage-taking incident.

Firstly, the police failed to disarm their former colleague who was dismissed due to an Ombudsman ruling in 2008. The case stemmed from extortion charges filed against him by a student.

“The negotiators were so close to him, and he had his weapon hanging down by his side. He could have been disabled without having to kill him.”

Secondly, the police could have shot Mendoza as there were instances when he was just standing alone.

“You are dealing with an unpredictable and irrational individual. The rule should be that if in the course of negotiations an opportunity arises to end the situation decisively, it should be taken,” he stated.

Shoebridge also said that authorities could have reinstated Mendoza so that the hostage-taking could have been resolved much earlier.

“I wondered why the authorities just didn't give in to all of his demands,” he remarked.

“A promise extracted under force is not a promise that you are required to honor. Nobody wants to give in to the demands of terrorists, but in a situation like this, which did not involve a terrorist group, or release of prisoners, they could have just accepted his demands. He could be reinstated in the police - and then be immediately put in prison for life for hostage taking.”

Another “miss” of the police was using hostage-taker’s brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, to negotiate. The police even arrested Gregorio for being an accessory to the crime.

It has been said that Gregorio’s arrest agitated his brother which led to the bloodbath in the tourist bus.

“Relatives and close friends can be a double-edged sword, Mr. Shoebridge says,” the BBC News wrote.

Media and crowd control

The British analyst also cited the media coverage as it caused Mendoza to be aware of what was happening around him.

He said it was a “crucial defect in the police handling.”

Shoebridge said the police could have prevented the media from reporting at the scene by placing screens and barriers in the area.

He added that there was no element of surprise, thanks to the media’s extensive coverage.

But he said that the policemen were also at fault for not distracting the hostage-taker and even moving “laboriously slowly.”

The police also failed to safeguard the public. A bystander, a 10-year-old boy, was hurt following the gunfire.

“When you saw the camera view from above, it was clear there was little command and control of the public on the ground,” Shoebridge said.

How to do it

The Serbian Special Forces, meantime, demonstrated how to break into a bus in a training video uploaded on YouTube.

The video entitled “special operation serbia,” however, was not aimed at educating the Philippine police as it was uploaded on January 29, 2008.

It showed the Serbian Special Forces assaulting a parked bus by smashing and firing shots at the windows and using a ramp to quickly enter the bus through the windows.

The MPD did not have a ramp or ladder when they were trying to get into the tourist bus on Monday.

Aside from breaking into the bus, the video also showed the Serbian Special Forces scaling from helicopter ropes, breaking into a parked train car, scaling down a building, stopping a convoy and target shooting.

Netizen akosironin commented on the YouTube video’s page: “Wish Manila Police was this good.”