Two sleeping children and a ticking clock: inside a tense standoff at an embassy in Canberra

While the capital is sound asleep, a tense stand-off outside an embassy in Canberra is on the verge of failure.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

or signup to continue reading

It was April 2025, when a person had locked themselves and their two young children in a car and parked across embassy gates in the middle of the night.

They refused to leave or step out of the vehicle until their demands were met.

The physical blockade posed a threat to the safety of embassy staff and risked starting a diplomatic security crisis.

The only thing standing between them and the vehicle was a police negotiator, who was communicating with the parent through their car window as their children slept in the back seat.

Detective Sergeant Michael Freeman inside the AFP's negotiator response vehicle in Canberra. Picture by Karleen Minney

No matter the negotiator's numerous attempts to connect, the driver refused to talk to them. The driver turned up the music in their car and continued to film the interaction on their phone.

Two hours later, Detective Sergeant Michael Freeman - listening and contributing from a parked van - switched the primary negotiator, to see if a different voice would help.

At first, nothing changed.

But very slowly, the negotiator picked up on how to show the person they understood how frustrated they must have been to put themselves in a position where they blocked an embassy to try to get some help.

At the end of the day, we can have an influence on the outcome, but it's not completely up to us what happens.

- AFP negotiator Michael Freeman

As negotiations neared the four-hour mark, it was already dawn and the children in the car were stirring.

Detective Sergeant Freeman became less and less confident the driver would surrender to police.

"Tactical response had made a plan that they were going to enter the vehicle to get them out. That was obviously the last result ... we didn't want that to happen," he said.

In the end, the negotiators' persistence paid off and the parent unlocked their car moments before the tactical team would open the vehicle by force.

The incident was resolved peacefully and without damage to the car. The children were able to step out of the vehicle themselves, officers offered them water and the adult was able to access mental health treatment.

"As a negotiator, that was the best outcome possible," Detective Sergeant Freeman said.

How often are police negotiators needed in Canberra?

In the capital, AFP negotiator teams are called to an incident after general duties officers or others have been speaking to people of interest for a long time without a positive (safe) outcome.

In 2026 alone, Detective Sergeant Freeman said negotiators had been called to more than 40 incidents in Canberra.

During incidents, Detective Sergeant Michael Freeman and his team are dispatched from their office in Belconnen. Picture by Karleen Minney

He said the most common types of jobs were negotiated surrenders and mental health incidents.

Negotiators are also needed at high-risk arrests involving barricaded offenders or a hostage situation.

"Fortunately, [hostage situations] are not very common in the ACT," the detective sergeant said.

Reflecting on a memorable incident in Canberra's south late last year, Detective Sergeant Freeman said his team were called after a man threatened to use gas cannisters to blow up a house he was in.

Negotiators spoke to the man, who had previously had negative interactions with police, for nearly three hours before he agreed to peacefully surrender and receive mental health treatment.

Senior AFP negotiators also undergo counter-terrorism training, a skill set that has previously been used to support the families of Australians kidnapped by ransom groups overseas.

Is it anything like the movies?

In the movies, a police negotiation is often shown to be a high-octane event.

Be it a single negotiator with a loudhailer talking to a person on a ledge, or a rogue detective walking into a hostage situation with doughnuts and exchanging quick-witted threats with an armed offender.

The latter is a scene from Metro. The Eddie Murphy starrer is Detective Sergeant Freeman's film of choice when it comes police negotiations because of its wild inaccuracies.

A police negotiator speaking to protesters on the roof of a weapons manufacturing company in Canberra in July 2025. Picture supplied

In reality, a calm, painstaking and intensely methodical response is an AFP negotiator's bread and butter.

"Probably wouldn't be a particularly interesting movie," the detective sergeant said, adding they did not have inflatable platforms available to protect someone in case they fall from a height.

He said there was no solo hero in any negotiation, that behind the scenes, a coordinated team of negotiators inside a quiet, well-equipped van supported a primary on the ground by listening in, taking notes and guiding their approach.

Before the digital era, negotiators carried heavy black cases of complicated audio and recording equipment along with a large roll of telephone cable.

A smaller hand-held case with a receiver would then be thrown into the vicinity of the person of interest to enable two-way communication.

Police negotiatiators at the scene of an incident in Canberra. Picture supplied

Nowadays, police carry an audio kit similar to what a podcaster would have and use touchscreen mobile phones.

During a negotiation, hours pass like minutes

The core of a successful negotiation is an instinct rarely used in everyday conversation - listening without preparing your next line.

Detective Sergeant Freeman said negotiators can become so engrossed in listening that an incident lasting hours sometimes feels like 10 minutes.

"If you're not present in that moment, you miss the intricacies... the bits at the bottom of the iceberg that we need to hear."

The team leader, who speaks in a steady tone and volume, said he trains his negotiators to listen to understand, not to respond.

He said uncovering deeper emotional drivers, fears and unmet needs beneath an individual's actions - is what opens the door to resolution.

However, talking over someone is what upsets people the most, Detective Sergeant Freeman said

"What we're really trying to do is just regulate them to the point that they can make a slightly better decision for themselves," he said, adding negotiators are careful not to act as mental health professionals or make false promises.

What is the mental toll?

In a role defined by uncertainty, the possibility of death and intense emotions on the other side, how do AFP negotiators remain resilient?

Having worked in other areas of policing before beginning a negotiator position eight years ago, Detective Sergeant Freeman said the answer was separating the trauma of blaming oneself for unpredictable outcomes.

"I really focus on the process rather than the outcome," he said, adding the job was one of his favourite parts of being a police officer.

Their responsibility lies in relentless dedication to turning potential tragedy into peaceful surrenders, one calm conversation at a time.

"At the end of the day we can have an influence on the outcome, but it's not completely up to us what happens," he said.

"People have free will... If you can feel comfortable in knowing you've done the best job you can, then you should be proud of it."

• Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; 1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732; Men's Referral Service 1300 776 491

More from National News