| 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[1] |
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).[2] 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.[1]
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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.[3]
The Special Duties Unit is modeled on and trained by the Special Air Service. Four years after the establishment, Special Air Service personnel assisted in refining the Unit's close quarters combat techniques as well as training syllabus.[3][1]
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.[3] 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 when a four-inch diameter steel cable suddenly snapped before he fell down 30 feet to the boat.[4] 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 and the unit is considered in its role one of the world's finest.
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:
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,[5] 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.[6]
Originally the Special Duties Unit received much of their training from British Forces Overseas Hong Kong, supplemented by visits from Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Parachute Regiment personnel. After about 15 years, the SDU took on its own training, mainly keeping with British special forces techniques but also exchanging ideas and holding frequent training exercises with 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 Hong Kong dollar (HK) $2,000,000 and would still receive a monthly pension thereafter.
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)[7]
Glock 17 (Early 90s - present)[7]
Submachine Guns
Sterling submachine gun (Early 70s - late70s)
MP5series(A3/A5/SD3/SD5/SD6/K/K-PDW/N)(Early 80s - present)[7]
Assault Rifle
AR-15 (Early 70s - early 80s)
XM-177 (1982–2000)[7]
MC-51 (1992–1996)
M4A1 (2001–present)[7]
G36KV (2001–present)
M16A1/A2 (2001–present)
Shotguns
Remington 870 (Early 80s - present)[7]
Benelli M1 Super 90 (Early 80s - present)
Sniper Rifles
G3SG-1 (Early 80s - early 90s)[7]
PSG-1 (Late 80s - 2005)[7]
L42A1 (Early 80s - 90s)
L96A1 (Early 90s - present)[7]
SR-25 (Late 90s - present)[7]
SSG-2000 (Early 90s - present)[7]
Vehicles
Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000 armoured personnel carrier (2008–present)[8][9]
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.[10]
The Special Duties Unit rarely appeared in the mass media, and there were some movies or television programmes dedicated to them. Also, the unit was featured occasionally as part of films typically of the action genre:
Movies
Television dramas
Toys
Hong Kong SDU action figure ('Lam') by Dragon Toys