I think that the value of a course like that is mainly to get you through the shock value of something bad happening. The first time you go through anything hostile or dangerous it has a high psychological shock factor, so the training can expose you to that. Its quite hard to maintain mental composure and analyze things. Simple things ... Like a harsh interrogation at an airport, or getting tossed in the trunk of a car, are not so simple. Hopefully the Cape Town course does some of that stuff.

I remember the first time i was detained on a street in Africa by two soldiers armed with machine guns. That was a long time ago. They didn't rough me up ... Just harassed me and tried to shake me down for a bribe. Its not a comfortable experience, because you don't know what they are going to do next. In my case, i just stayed calm, acted like i had a lot of time, and didn't give them the bribe. It worked in that situation. Don't know if i would pay the money next time ... Its a gut reaction call.

Pete