Police Negotiation Team (PNT) is a specialist unit of the New Zealand Police dedicated to crisis negotiation. Nationwide, there are 17 Police Negotiation teams, with each Armed Offender Squad (AOS) having a dedicated PNT attached to it. Similar to the AOS units themselves, the negotiators are all part time volunteers drawn from the ranks of the front line police.
As well as deploying to armed incidents with the AOS, they will also act as an independent unit and speak with suicidal people, offenders who have barricaded themselves in buildings, prison rioters, and kidnappers. They will also deploy overseas to provide support and advise to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade when a New Zealand national has been kidnapped.
|
