The Police Tactical Unit (PTU; ) is a unit within the
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...
which provides an immediate manpower reserve for use in large-scale emergencies.
Unit companies are attached to all land Regions and are available for internal security, crowd control, anti-crime operations, disaster response and riot control throughout
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
. The PTU is often referred as the 'Blue Berets', which is in reference to the blue
beret
A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre.
Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret rema ...
s worn as part of the uniform.
The PTU is also the parent organization of the
Special Duties Unit (SDU),
which specializes in
counter-terrorism
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or ...
and
hostage rescue
A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or refr ...
, and the
Special Tactical Contingent (STC), which specializes in
riot control
Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is spontaneous and irratio ...
drawing members from other units including the PTU Headquarters and SDU for temporary ad hoc tasks.
The PTU base and training camp is located in
Fanling.
History
The PTU was established in 1958, known then as the Police Tactical Contingent (PTC).
The PTC's name changed to the PTU in 1968.
In 1969, the PTU was allowed to wear the beret as their standard headgear, which lead to the unit being known locally as the "Blue Berets".
In 2009, the Saxon APC was replaced by Mercedes-Benz
Unimog U500 APCs.
In May 2022, the PTU has acquired six
Sabertooth APCs from
Huakai Vehicles under the HK SAR government's 2020-2021 budget with HK$76.65 million (US$9.76 million) allocated for the purchase.
The tender for the vehicles were completed in October 2021.
The Sabertooths will replace the Unimogs in service due to export bans of anti-riot gear to the HKPF in 2019 and due to frequent deployments, which resulted in wear and tear.
According to a list of Refurbishment of Government Building projects released online by the Architectural Services Department, the PTU HQ's gymnasium, toilets and store room at Block M is proposed to be renovated for HK$5 to 10 million.
Duties
The PTU is responsible for training HKPF officers stationed within the Emergency Unit.
Organization
The PTU is made up of eleven companies, comprising in total about 2,000 officers. Each company (under the command of a Superintendent) is made up of 4 platoons, each led by an Inspector or Senior Inspector. A platoon comprises 32 Officers with 1 Station Sergeant (senior NCO) and 8 Sergeants.
The unit consists of the Training Division, Support Division, Research and Development Division, Emergency Unit, Special Tactical Contingent and the Special Duties Unit.
Equipment
Current
Firearms
*
Smith & Wesson Model 10
The Smith & Wesson Model 10, previously known as the Smith & Wesson .38 Hand Ejector Model of 1899, the Smith & Wesson Military & Police or the Smith & Wesson Victory Model, is a K-frame revolver of worldwide popularity. In production since 1899 ...
*
Remington 870
The Remington Model 870 is a pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, LLC. It is widely used by the public for shooting sports, hunting and self-defense, as well as by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.
D ...
*
Federal Model 201-Z Riot Gun
*
AR-15
An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporatio ...
Gear
* S10 respirator
Vehicles
*
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
*
Toyota Coaster
*
Mutsubishi fuso rosa
*
Mercedes-Benz atego
The Mercedes-Benz Atego is a range of general-purpose rigid trucks introduced by Daimler Truck in 1998. A new model was introduced in 2004, followed by a facelift in 2010 and another new model in 2013.
The latest version is available in gross veh ...
*
Ford F550
The Ford Super Duty (short for F-Series Super Duty) is a series of heavy-duty pickup trucks produced by the Ford Motor Company since the 1999 model year. Slotted above the consumer-oriented Ford F-150, the Super Duty trucks are an expansion of ...
armoured personnel carrier. Made in
China and named Sabertooth
Former
*
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
Unimog U5000 armoured personnel carrier. Standard APC. Being phased out for the Sabertooth APC.
*
Saxon (vehicle)
*
Alvis Saracen
*
Mercedes-Benz Vario
The Mercedes-Benz Vario (model designation BM667/668/670) is a full-size commercial heavy van manufactured by Mercedes-Benz between 1996 and 2013.
History
The Vario was launched in 1996 as a facelifted version of the Mercedes-Benz T2.
The bod ...
*
Toyota dyna
*
Isuzu NPR
*
Bedford TJ
In Popular culture
* ''
Tactical Unit (film series)''
* ''
On the First Beat
''On the First Beat'' (Traditional Chinese: 學警出更) is a TVB modern action series broadcast in June 2007.
The series is a direct sequel to 2005's '' The Academy'' ( 學警雄心). The main cast features Ron Ng, Sammul Chan and Chin Ka Lok ...
''
See also
*
List of police tactical units
*
Airport Security Unit (Hong Kong)
The Airport Security Unit (ASU; ) is the airport police of the Hong Kong Police Force tasked with the security of the Hong Kong International Airport. The ASU was originally formed in 1977 as the Special Action Squad on standby for security ...
*
Beijing SWAT
*
Snow Leopard Commando Unit
*
Special Police Unit
References
{{commons category, Police Tactical Unit (Hong Kong)
Hong Kong Police Force
1958 establishments in Hong Kong