The Rapid Police Unit ( az, Çevik Polis Alayı), formally Separate Rapid Police Unit (''Əlahiddə Çevik Polis Alayı''), is a

police tactical unit A police tactical unit (PTU) is a specialized police unit trained to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence (or risk of violence) involved. A police tactical unit's tas ...

within the

Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan () is an Azerbaijani government ministry for internal affairs, which is responsible for keeping the order, security and safety of population, officials, buildings and structures in the country. The ...

. The unit is headquartered in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

, at 69 Nobel Avenue. As of 2019, the unit commander is Sahlab Bagirov, who succeeded Zaur Abdullayev in that capacity. Until 2006 the Rapid Police Unit was within the purview of the Baku Police Department. On 31 July 2006 the unit was incorporated into the Ministry of Internal Affairs, becoming able to operate on a country level. Since 30 September 2017 the unit also employs women. The Rapid Police Unit was used to disperse the

2019 Baku protests The 2019 Baku protests were a series of nonviolent rallies on 8, 19 and 20 October in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The protests on 8 and 19 October were organized by the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), an alliance of opposition ...

, among others.

References

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References

See also