A 35 year old man was arrested last week Friday in Cape Town for holding a knife to his 2 year old daughter's throat. He police arrived at the house after they were called by a family member. The violence started after the man's family suggested sending him to a mental institution due to mental problems. In anger he seized his daughter at knife point and refused to let her go. The interesting aspect of this incident was that the police used food to convince the father to let his child go. When the police put the food on the floor the man let the child go and rushed towards the food. The police rushed in and arrested him. The child was unhurt and the father was checked into a hospital.
In SA, as well as in other African countries hostages are becoming a common form of violence. It is important for the police force to be alert at all times to be able to crack down on such offenses. In this situation the father was obviously mentally disturbed and needed help. I'm glad the police didn't use force or violence and didn't shoot at the man, but rather coerced him into letting the child go.
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ReplyDeleteThis is so crazy! What I found interesting is that they used food as a bargaining tool to ensure the child’s safety. Seems like not only was he mentally disturbed but also malnourished.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad story, at least it ended in peace.