Hostage negotiator on heartbreaking failure that also haunts him 15 years on

As a police hostage and disaster negotiator John Sutherland saved dozens of lives throughout his 25-year profession — however he’s nonetheless haunted by the one negotiation he couldn’t resolve.

The former senior Metropolitan Police officer, who has used his experiences to put in writing a thriller sequence starring police negotiator Alex Lewis, spent 5 hours attempting to steer barrister Mark Saunders to place down a shotgun he was waving out of the window of his Chelsea dwelling in 2008.

The siege in Markham Square ended with the 32-year-old being shot at the very least 5 instances by police marksmen and killed.

John, 53, promised the useless man’s spouse not to talk about the main points of the negotiations however admits the lack of Mr Saunders’ life is considered one of a handful of instances that left an “indelible mark” on him.

There are 84 hostage and disaster negotiators in London – 76 within the Met and eight in City of London Police – and much fewer in police forces throughout Britain.

Most officers perform the position on a voluntary foundation alongside their “day job”, and for no further pay.

John, who reached chief superintendent because the borough commander for Camden after which Southwark, feels the general public do not likely perceive the position, because the delicate nature of negotiations means they don’t seem to be extensively spoken about or reported on.

This was a part of his motivation for writing the Alex Lewis sequence. Its second instalment, The Fallen, is out now.

The e book begins with Alex being referred to as to assist a younger girl who’s threatening to leap from Westminster Bridge.

Perilously perched on a slender ledge outdoors the bridge railing, Becca Palmer, claims she was fired from her Home Office job after an affair with a married policing minister who she believes is corrupt.

Alex vows to look into her allegations as one of the best ways of stopping her from attempting to take her life.

John says in contrast to in Hollywood films, the place hostage negotiators are repeatedly referred to as in when financial institution heists go improper, such a scenario could be very uncommon in actual life.

Instead, he was largely referred to as to take care of folks struggling with psychological well being points or different traumas.

He says: “The vast majority of what you are called out to is people in crisis. Just ordinary, decent people with no criminal history who for a thousand different reasons have ended up at the end of themselves.”

John attended a care dwelling in east London the place an outdated man was sitting in an armchair within the communal lounge holding a big kitchen knife to his throat. He says: “I sat down in a chair across the room from him and encouraged him to tell his story.

It turned out he’d fallen in love with another of the residents in the home who had not only spurned his advances but had been unkind to him.

“He was lonely, broken-hearted and wanted to be heard. In the end, I was able to persuade him to put the knife down. I’ll never forget his sadness.”

In one other negotiation, John went to Merton city corridor to discover a man sitting in a session sales space, on the opposite facet of a bolstered plexiglass window, with a hypodermic syringe pressed into an open wound on his neck.

He was in dispute with a council housing officer and had snapped.

John says: “I can’t remember how long I spent with him, but he gave himself up in the end.” The father-of-three from Southwark says being a superb listener is an important ability for the position. As a devoted and caring officer, this pure empathy was an asset.

But John – who will likely be showing at Orion’s Incident Room on the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate on July 21 – admits it additionally most likely performed an element in struggling a psychological breakdown in 2013, aged 43. He says: “I broke into a thousand pieces. I ended up off work for more than seven months.”

John made it again to work for greater than 5 years however was not in a position to return to full duties, so was medically retired in 2018.

His involvement in 4 tragic knife crime deaths has additionally stayed with him.

For this cause The Fallen is devoted to Kodjo Yenga, Ben Kinsella, Milad Gol-makani and Dogan Ismail.

John says: “They were in different parts of London at different times but along with some of the domestic violence cases I dealt with, and along with some of the crisis negotiations I was a part of, these are the things that have left an indelible mark on me.”

While John was off work he began writing, at first simply to train his mind. But he mentioned he quickly discovered it cathartic.

“I started writing about the things I had done and gave myself permission to actually feel them for the first time.

“That was both frightening and painful but also enormously healing.

“I have kept writing because I love it and I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to live a second life.”

• The Fallen by John Sutherland (Orion, £18.99) is out now. Visit expressbookshop.com or name 020 3176 3832 to purchase a replica. Free UK P&P on on-line orders over £25
• The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival takes place July 20-23. Visit harrogateinternationalfestivals.com