A new crack squad of police officers specially trained and armed to take on terrorists minutes after an attack on Singapore’s shores will be operational in June.
These officers of the Emergency Response Team (ERT), which Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam announced last month as part of a hardening of counter-terrorism measures amid heightened risks, will be trained in counter-assault. They will also wield more powerful firearms — the Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine gun — than regular cops and be suited up in ballistic helmets and vests in full battle order.
Sharing details of the ERT during the Police workplan seminar yesterday, Mr Shanmugam said that “top of the list” of the new challenges the force will face is terrorism, which has become “a clear and present danger”.
The Police noted that, going by the Paris attacks last November and Jakarta attacks in January, the modus operandi of terrorists have shifted to trying to inflict maximum casualties as quickly as possible without any intent to capture hostages or negotiate for their reliease.
Mr Shanmugam added: “ERTs … will have to respond faster, more effectively and decisively to attacks. They will have more firepower and be given training to achieve this. They will get to the scene as quickly as possible to contain the situation and minimise casualties as far as possible.”
ERT officers will operate out of all six land division headquarters in groups of four to five, conducting patrols at places such as shopping malls as a form of deterrence. By going on these rounds, the officers will also be able to familiarise themselves with the local terrain and stakeholders so that they can respond swiftly during an armed attack.
The ERT will be followed by a second wave of forces — specialist teams from the Special Operations Command (SOC) called Rapid Deployment Troops (RDT). Mr Shanmugam said that around 300 officers will recruited by the time the RDT is fully manned by July 2017.
These troops will move around in convoys of armoured Tactical Strike Vehicles — still being developed — and Tactical Vehicles. When they are needed on a scene urgently, they will use Tactical Response Motorcycles so that they can weave through traffic, for instance.
Source: TODAY Online
