FSU opens 'History Corner' at Search Training School
The Force Search Unit (FSU), Asia's first counter-terrorism search team, was formed in September 1992. The largest secondary duty cadre of the Force, FSU now has more than 400 members.
To give visitors a better idea of its work, FSU has set up a "History Corner" at the Search Training School in Sha Ling to display records of past search operations and old search equipment. Among the exhibits are the first-generation Ionscan 350, the first of its kind in Asia, which was worth $3 million, and a wooden archway metal detector manufactured by a Canadian company in the early 90's.
After officiating at the opening of the "History Corner" on March 18, Assistant Commissioner (Operations) Wong Chi-hung wrote "striving for excellence and reaching for new heights" in Chinese in the guestbook.
Development of FSU
Over the past 19 years, FSU has undergone major changes in human resources as well as hardware and software. For instance, the first training course on search was held in the classrooms of the former Detective Training School near Choi Hung Estate. In 1995, the first search training school was established in Queen's Hill, and was later relocated to temporary premises at the former headquarters of the Government Flying Service in Kowloon Bay. Eventually, FSU found a permanent home in October 2003 - the Search Training School in Sha Ling.
The facilities of the training school have been improved substantially over the years, and the equipment for search cadre members have changed as well. Initially, they wore blue boiler suits, which were eventually replaced by blue overalls and safety shoes. They also wear personal protective clothing to protect their health and prevent contamination of exhibits at crime scenes. The basic search kits and equipment have also been improved to meet the requirements of counter-terrorism search and crime scene search.
The way forward
Since 1997, a number of international conferences and sports events have been held in Hong Kong, including 1997 Handover Ceremony, 2005 World Trade Organisation Conference, 2008 Olympic Equestrian Events and 2009 East Asian Games. In planning and executing search and screening operations for those events, FSU has garnered a wealth of experience. It has also embarked on the road to provide professional training to ramp up cadre members' professionalism and the Force's operational capability.
Recognition of its Diploma in Police Search and Venue Security by the Government's Qualifications Framework marks a new milestone of FSU's developments in human resources and training.
Recognising that better co-operation with other police forces in Asia is the only way to beef up the counter-terrorism search capability in the Asian Pacific Region, FSU provides professional training not only to Force members, but also officers on the Mainland, and in Macau and other countries in the Region.
Assistant
Commissioner (Operations) Wong Chi-hung unveils a plaque commemorating
opening of the "History Corner"