The Special Security Unit (SSU) is a specialized
counterterrorism
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that Government, governments, law enforcement, business, and Intelligence agency, intellig ...
and security unit of the
Sindh Police in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. It is a
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
-based unit, with its operational jurisdiction extending throughout Sindh as a whole. It was established in 2010 in response to increased rates of
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
. The unit reports to the
IG Sindh and DIGP Security/Commandant Mr. Maqsood Ahmed is the founding head of the unit.
Services
The SSU provides personal protection to individuals in the following roles:
*
President of Pakistan
The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.[Prime Minister of Pakistan
The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...]
*
Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan
*
Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan
The Speaker of the National Assembly (Urdu: اسپیکر قومی اسمبلی); informally as Speaker National Assembly, is the presiding official of the National Assembly of Pakistan– a lower house of the Parliament of Pakistan.
The offi ...
*
Chief Justice of Pakistan
}
The Chief Justice of Pakistan (Urdu: ) (Initialism, initials as CJP) is head of the court system of Pakistan (the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicature branch of Government of Pakistan, government) and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Paki ...
* Visiting heads of state and/or government
* Governors and chief ministers of the provinces of Pakistan and of
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee:
*
*
* and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...
The SSU also provides security arrangements for ceremonies and public events, carrying out threat level assessment, risk assessment inquiry, and security surveys.
History
Establishment
Centralized Security Headquarter (CSH) was formed on 31 July 2008 with the aim to provide security to important personalities and institutions. On 7 April 2010, the CSH was reorganized to ensure effective span of command and supervision, along with the creation of post SP Security-I to provide security to important personalities. It was reorganized in light of the ambition of SP Maqsood Ahmed to execute the security issues to initiate a change culture in the police unit. Additionally, on 7 July 2010, SSU was formed to handle the security issues on a provincial level. The post of SP Security-I was renamed as AIGP Security Sindh and positioned under the Inspector General of Police, Sindh.
Selection Criteria
In 2013, SSU began recruiting new candidates. The aspirants for the SSU, existing or external candidates (new), are required to pass a certain set of assessments which are aimed at determining their suitability and fitness. The maximum age limit for existing police personnel is 45 years, and 35 years for officers and soldiers respectively, while for the external candidates, the age limit is 28 years. The standard height required for external male and female candidates is 5’.6" and 5’.4" respectively; however, candidates with greater height and built-up physique are given preference.
The
National Testing Service
National Testing Service - Pakistan (NTS) is a nonprofit organization in Pakistan that administers academic performance evaluation tests. It is similar to Educational Testing Service (ETS) in the United States. NTS is a member of the Internation ...
(NTS) conducts the screening test to recruit the new candidates that made the process transparent. After the NTS test, the selected candidates appear in the physical and psychological test. Further, the interviews are conducted to check the suitability and competency of the selected candidates.
Training
After the completion of the recruitment process, the recruited police personnel join the SSU. The personnel are sent to specified training institution for training course to enhance an integrated response mechanism against terrorism at National level. The training programs are initiated at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Elite Police Training Center Razzakabad, Karachi through the Police personnel appointments, and are advanced to the anti-terrorism unit. The following Courses are taken by the personnel:
*Elite Police Course (Police Commando Course), follow a similar training module like of Pakistan Army's Special Services Group (SSG)
*VIP Protection Course
Uniform
The SSU personnel wear a black outfit, protective gears, and M-4 rifle. The regular SSU uniform consists of black trouser and full-sleeve shirt, black barrette representing the SSU logo and DMS shoes. The shirt is ornamented with the rank and training badge, and arm badge of the SSU placed on the upper part of the left sleeve. The operational uniform of the SSU comprises black trouser, black T-shirt or polo shirt with SSU logo printed on the front left side, along with the name of the unit the back side, P-Cap displaying SSU logo and DMS shoes. All SSU personnel wear a bulletproof jacket, helmet, and other body protective gears when on operational duty.
Activities
SSU had played an active role in counterterrorism and special operations in Pakistan. Incident in which it was involved included:
*June 2014, a multi-agency operation against Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, at Karachi Airport.
Equipment
*
Glock series Pistol
*
Beretta 92FS Pistol
*
Benelli M4 Shotgun
*
Heckler & Koch MP5 SMG
*
M4 Carbine
The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle.
The M4 is extensively ...
Assault Rifle
*
Type 56 Assault Rifle
*
Beretta ARX160 Assault Rifle
*
HK G3
The Heckler & Koch G3 (''Gewehr'' 3) is a 7.62×51mm NATO, selective fire, select-fire battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German small arms, armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K) in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design ...
Assault Rifle
*
PSR-90 Sniper Rifle
*
MG3
The MG 3 is a German general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. The weapon's design is derived from the World War II era MG 42 ''Einheitsmaschinengewehr'' (Universal machine gun) that fired the 7.92×57mm Mauser r ...
Machine Gun
*
POF Eye
POF Eye is a special-purpose hand-held weapon system, similar to the Israeli Cornershot. It was first revealed at the 5th International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS 2008), held at the Karachi Expo Centre in November 2008. It is designed fo ...
* Shotguns
* Hand Grenades
* Smoke Grenades
* Binoculars
* Night vision goggles
And other protective gears.
Initiatives
The SSU established Pakistan's first
SWAT
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
team. As of 2016, 50 specialized police personnel (commandos) have been trained to support the efforts of police in critical situations.
Public training
In 2015, the SSU established the Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) program, intended to teach civilians how to respond during terrorist attacks.
References
External links
Official Website of Special Security UnitSSU Sindh Police Web TV Live
{{Pakistani special forces
Provincial law enforcement agencies of Pakistan
Police special forces of Pakistan