Police Tactical Unit

On a parade ground and wooded hillsides near Fanling, hundreds of policemen every day go through rigorous exercises to prepare for action Hong Kong hopes will never be needed. It's precisely because of that continuous training to deal with internal security that Hong Kong citizens can sleep soundly every night. The Police Tactical Unit, the foundry where Hong Kong's anti-riot police are forged, is the best insurance the community can enjoy.

Although the Force was always prepared to cope with trouble in the streets, the present sophisticated system grew directly out of two bloody days in 1956. The Double Tenth riots, sparked off by a political confrontation, left 59 dead. It taught senior police and government officials a lesson that has never been forgotten; be prepared.

The philosophy today remains basically unchanged from when PTU was founded. The discipline is strict, the exercises stringent, the pace exhaustive. The aim is to produce a regular stream of companies trained in riot control and other techniques aimed at public protection.

The tactics and equipment which had been tested for almost a decade were called suddenly into use in the spring of 1966 when The Star Ferry riots erupted. There was no warning. One night, the bustling streets of Hong Kong were busy and joyful. The next, there were mobs, riots and looting. The PTU units so hurriedly called out rapidly restored order.

This rehearsal was timely. The following year, Hong Kong entered its most critical era when external politics resulted in ugly riots, bombings and confrontation. This was the ultimate test, not simply of training, but of valour and steadfastness. Police as a whole and PTU in particular passed with banners flying.

By then, thousands of serving police officers back on the beat, in stations and in crime investigation units had passed through PTU. The companies could be put together swiftly to act as units to control and channel the mobs. Those crowds of rioters looked large. Although they numbered thousands, they were but a tiny percentage of the population.

There have been occasions since when PTU companies have been called out on instant alert for upheavals. The results have invariably been positive. In reaction to the Tiananmen Square incident of 1989, criminals tried to shroud looting with patriotism. The trouble was extinguished within minutes although global television which replayed endlessly one 30-second segment made it seem Hong Kong was in flames. In reality, PTU had quenched the riot before it began.

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