thanks for the explanation . Think I figured out how it works and when you ' d want it , altough I don ' t see a place for it in my own projects . <| sep |> So circle him and spend hours of time to hope that the Oh Shit situation doesnt arrive ? I said there were more options , not just that one . They could ' ve kept him surrounded while trying to reach someone he knows . As it was shown there the man was not a direct threat to the cops until they decided to close in . He was holding the knife , yes , but he was staying put . They could ' ve surrounded him and wait him out . He will have gotten tired . He wasn ' t a threat to any of the homes around either as long as they had him surrounded . They only reason to close in on him as they did is simply a move to bring it to an end . While I agree that there is a benefit to shortening engagement as a factor for improving success , I don ' t think it applies in all scenarios and as such it should be considered as a possible approach rather than the default one .