Special Duties Unit

Special Duties Unit (SDU)
Active	July, 1974 - present
Country	Hong Kong
Branch	Hong Kong Police Force
Type	Special Forces
Role	Paramilitary, counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and law enforcement
Size	Over 120 officers
Part of	Police Tactical Unit
Garrison/HQ	Fanling
Nickname	Flying Tigers
Motto	Strength, Discipline, Unity.
Colors	Disruptive Pattern Material, military camouflage, black, dark blue
Mascot	Tiger
Anniversaries	2004
Commanders
Notable commanders	Chief Inspector Danko Au Yeung Chiu-Kong

The Special Duties Unit (Abbreviation: SDU; Chinese: 特別任務連, nicknamed Flying Tigers 飛虎隊) is an elite paramilitary tactical unit of the Hong Kong Police Force. Established in July 1974, it is a sub-division of the Police Tactical Unit (PTU). Its primary functions include counter-terrorism, hostage rescue and dealing with crimes (usually involving firearms) which are considered too dangerous for regular police to handle. The unit was formerly trained by the British SAS before the handover of Hong Kong to China.

The Special Duties Unit is based in Fanling where the Police Tactical Unit is also based.

History

Land Team's patch.

The establishment of the Special Duties Unit can be traced back to an incident on March 13, 1971, when a Philippine Airlines flight was hijacked and was forced to land at Kai Tak Airport. Though the incident was resolved peacefully, the Hong Kong Police Force became concerned that a similar incident would occur in the future. The Sharpshooter Team (神槍手隊) was assembled in 1974 and later reorganised into the Special Duties Unit.

The Special Duties Unit is modeled on and trained by the Special Air Service. In addition, Special Boat Service personnel assisted the SDU in developing its own marine counter-terrorist unit, the Water Team, (nicknamed: "Water Ghosts" 水鬼隊 ) after an incident in the early 1980s. A Water Ghosts sniper named Tsang Kwong-biu was seriously injured while undergoing joint training with SEAL Team Six in 1991, during a ship-boarding exercise where he suffered from a 30 foot fall. The Water Team was later disbanded in 2000, because all current officers of the Special Duties Unit are equally trained and proficient in maritime operations.

Up to now, the Special Duties Unit has not failed in any of its operations, earning it the reputation of being one of the world's finest in its role.

Organization

A base of operations located at Dyer Avenue, Hung Hom

The Special Duties Unit consists of a support group, administration group and the action group. The action group is the core of the Unit, further categorised into the assault team and the sniper team. The following units include:

• Operation Team, which is divided into Team A and Team B, together with the sniper team. Team C is responsible for the training of Special Duties Unit officers.

• The Medical Support Team, which consists of officers who are trained in battlefield first aid.

• The headquarters, which is responsible for all administrative works, as well as providing intelligence to operations.

• The boat team, which maintains and operates the Zodiac vessels. Recently several FB/RIB 55 series boats were purchased from FB Design in Italy to supplement the Zodiac vessels.

• The maintenance team, which maintain all land vehicles as well as Asia's most advanced Close Quarter Battle House. Four Guardian Tactical Intervention Vehicles from Jankel Armouring Limited were purchased in 2007 and arrived in 2008, providing improved armoured protection for officers.

Selection and Training

Special Duties Unit and Airport Security Unit recruitment poster, 2005

To maintain the SDU's high standards, recruitment exercises are not open to the general public. To even qualify for recruitment, one must have a minimum of two years service in the Police Tactical Unit and complete training under the PTU, and to be both a non-smoker and non-drinker. The selection process is very stringent, with a high drop-out rate; only about 100 are selected to enlist in the SDU. The SDU's training program has been merged with the ASU recently to prevent potential candidates from dropping out from either unit.

Originally the Special Duties Unit received much of their training from the Special Air Service and Special Boat Service. After about 15 years, the SDU took on its own training, mainly keeping with the techniques of their British special forces mentors, but also exchanging ideas and holding frequent training exercises with other similar units from around the world.

The officers in the unit maintain a high degree of secrecy and only the closest family members know their true identity.

The SDU does not enforce a retirement age, due to the unit's emphasis on overall personal capability rather than physical prowess alone; an officer only retires when he wishes to resign or has become incapable of fulfilling his duties. At their retirement, they are paid a lump sum of (HK) $2,000,000 and would still receive a monthly pension thereafter.

Equipment & weapons

Hong Kong Police Force Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000 armoured personnel carrier

Hong Kong Police Force Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000 armoured personnel carrier

The Special Duties Unit has been known to be armed or formerly armed with the following weapons and equipment:

Pistol
Smith & Wesson Model 10 (Early 70s - late 70s)
Browning Mk3 (Late 70s - early 90s)
Glock 17 (Early 90s - present)

Submachine Guns
Sterling submachine gun (Early 70s - late70s)
MP5 series(Early 80s - present)(A3/A5/SD3/SD5/SD6/K/K-PDW/N)

Assault Rifle
AR-15 (Early 70s - early 80s)
XM-177 (1982–2000)
MC-51 (1992–1996)
M4A1 (2001–present)
G36KV (2001–present)
M16A1/A2 (2001–present)

Shotguns
Remington 870 (Early 80s - present)
Benelli M1 Super 90 (Early 80s - present)

Sniper Rifles
G3SG-1 (Early 80s - early 90s)
PSG-1 (Late 80s - 2005)
L42A1 (Early 80s - 90s)
L96A1 (Early 90s - present)
SR-25 (Late 90s - present)
SSG-2000 (Early 90s - present)

Vehicles
Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000 armoured personnel carrier (2008–present)

Known Operations

During a bank robbery in 1992, four robbers with AK-47 assault rifles and hand-grenades battled the SDU, resulting in 7 officers injured. As a result of this incident, their Close Quarters Battle technique was further refined in order to fit Hong Kong's unique urban environment, and new equipment was added to the Unit's arsenal. All suspects were apprehended.

Before Christmas Eve of 2003, Kwai Ping Hung, the most wanted person in Hong Kong, was arrested in a joint raid between the Special Duties Unit and Criminal Intelligence Bureau (Team D) (Hit Team) with no shots fired.

When the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2005 was held in Hong Kong, the Special Duties Unit was deployed to protect World Trade Organization delegates in the country.

In popular culture

The Sniper (2009)

Movies

• The Final Option (1994)
• First Option (1996)
• Breaking News (2004)
• New Police Story (2004)
• Invisible Target (2007)
• The Dark Knight (2008)
• The Sniper (2009)
• The Stool Pigeon (2010)

Television dramas

• Flying Squads (1989)
• Tiger Cubs (2012)

Toys
Hong Kong SDU action figure ('Lam') by Dragon Toys

See also

• Police Tactical Unit
• Airport Security Unit
• Counter Terrorism Response Unit
• Marine Region
• Police Dog Unit
• Government Flying Service

External links

• SDUPro.comja:SDU