Hostage negotiator called in to talk two men down from single storey roof

Police chiefs called in a trained hostage negotiator to talk two men down from a rooftop just eight feet off the ground. A bemused passer-by captured the moment the hostage negotiator, more often seen at armed sieges, stood within touching distance of the men sitting on a porch roof. The two men, aged 27 and 21, spent 90 minutes on the tiles with their feet in the guttering during the stand-off at a community centre on Anglesey, North Wales.

Police were called to a disturbance in the area at 7pm last Thursday after they climbed on the roof. North Wales Police officers called in a trained hostage negotiator after failing to get the men to climb down. The men were brought down after 90 minutes and arrested for using threatening language and causing a public nuisance. But Cllr Peter Rogers, of Isle of Anglesey County Council, questioned whether the response from the police was over the top.



He said there was some suggestion the men would only talk to a negotiator who could speak Welsh. Coun Rogers said: "I have full sympathy with the police and what they do. But I would question the need for a police negotiator for people on a relatively low roof." North Wales Police did not respond to the question of whether the negotiator was necessary. A spokeswoman said: "A trained negotiator was called and shortly after 8.30pm the men were brought to safety."

The 21-year-old man from Caernarfon, North Wales, has been charged with common assault, using threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear of unlawful violence. The 27-year-old man from Newborough, North Wales, has been charged with criminal damage, using threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear of unlawful violence and causing a public nuisance. Both are due to appear before Caernarfon Magistrates.