EU NTN officers trained in simulated incidents
Since mid 2003, Emergency Unit New Territories North (EU NTN) Headquarters has been regularly conducting "Ad Hoc Exercises" in order to provide quality service to the public, and to maintain the best operational readiness.
The exercises are designed to test officers' reactions in handling untoward incidents, and to identify room for improvement. "The ultimate goal is to ensure that every EU NTN officer is capable of effectively dealing with such incidents," said NTN Senior Superintendent (Operations) Leung King-hang.
Mr Leung pointed out that as EU officers always have to handle untoward or emergency incidents at the forefront, they must be able to react quickly, make decisions and act properly under stressful, critical and dangerous situations. "The 'Ad Hoc Exercises' are therefore designed to be as real as possible to let officers gain and learn experience, thereby building up their confidence and ability in handling real incidents," he said.
An "Ad Hoc Exercise" normally involves no more than two EU cars on duty, which are, without prior notice, tasked to deal with a simulated incident. To meet the operational needs of the Region, the themes of the exercises varied, ranging from hostage cases, armed robberies to incidents caused by triads.
"The 'Ad Hoc Exercises' are also used to test officers' use of newly acquired equipment or to train newly deployed officers in using the equipment. The exercises not only have helped officers in building up their confidence and professionalism, but also have identified room for further improvement for our efforts in providing better service to the public," said Mr Leung.
Immediately following each "Ad Hoc Exercise", the car crew concerned would share their experiences, and will be given a debriefing and appropriate advice. The lessons learned will then be disseminated to all EU NTN officers via the PEN afterwards for their reference.
Citing an example of the effectiveness of the exercises, Mr Leung pointed out that following an exercise in February, officers from EU NTN's No. 4 Platoon were tasked to deal with a real case of unlawful detention in Tin Shui Wai. With experience of a simulated hostage case fresh in minds, they broke into a flat in Blackman suits, rescued a woman and subdued a man. The officers' response and actions were both efficient and professional, subsequently winning the compliment of the Regional Commander.
Training in a simulated incident