It was a family ransom which ultimately secured the release of Hertfordshire social worker Judith Tebbutt...With the UK government saying it refuses to talk to kidnappers, the door has opened for private security firms to fill the void in this troubled African country. The Times reported that specialist lawyers at one such company, Control Risks, spent months thrashing out the deal - but the firm will not confirm or deny helping free the mother...Prof Chris Kinsey, a security expert at King's College London, says Britain's private security firms were "following the cash cow" much like they did in Iraq in 2003. "Putting armed contractors on ships is something the British are particularly good at, and they seem to be the ones dominating this particular type of security activity," he says. [also refers to Dryad Maritime Intelligence Services, Idarat Maritime]