| Police Tactical Unit (PTU) | |
|---|---|
 Fully armoured Police Tactical Unit in Riot control during the WTO 2005 meeting protests. | |
| Active | 1958-Present |
| Country |
 Hong Kong |
| Branch | Hong Kong Police Force |
| Type | Paramilitary riot control |
| Role | Internal security, crowd control, anti-crime operations, disaster response and riot control |
| Size | Regulars about 2 thousand & echelon over thousands |
| Part of | Operations Wing |
| Garrison/HQ | 1 Wu Tip Shan Road, Fanling |
| Nickname(s) | Blue Berets |
| Motto(s) | Failing to plan is planning to fail. |
| Colours | Olive green |
| Anniversaries | 2008 |
The Police Tactical Unit (Abbreviation: PTU; Chinese: 警察機動部隊) is a paramilitary riot control unit of the Hong Kong Police Force. The Police Tactical Unit provides an immediate manpower reserve for use in any emergency, 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. The Police Tactical Unit is often referred as the 'Blue Berets', which is in reference to the blue berets worn as part of the uniform.
A subdivision of the PTU is the Special Duties Unit which specializes in counter-terrorism and hostage rescue.
Organisation[]
The Police Tactical Unit Base and training camp is located in Fanling.
This Unit is made up of eleven Companies, comprising in total about 2 thousand 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.
_-_2007-08-14_15h36m30s_DSC07119.JPG "Metal workers' protest in Hong Kong (Aug 2007) - 2007-08-14 15h36m30s DSC07119.JPG (521 KB)")
_-_2007-08-14_15h35m22s_DSC07115.JPG "Metal workers' protest in Hong Kong (Aug 2007) - 2007-08-14 15h35m22s DSC07115.JPG (459 KB)")
_-_2007-08-14_15h52m40s_DSC07141.JPG "Metal workers' protest in Hong Kong (Aug 2007) - 2007-08-14 15h52m40s DSC07141.JPG (475 KB)")
_-_2007-08-13_14h49m30s_DSC02159.JPG "Metal workers' protest in Hong Kong (Aug 2007) - 2007-08-13 14h49m30s DSC02159.JPG (851 KB)")
_-_2007-08-13_14h50m42s_Panorama_2.JPG "Metal workers' protest in Hong Kong (Aug 2007) - 2007-08-13 14h50m42s Panorama 2.JPG (383 KB)")
Firearms[]
- Smith & Wesson Model 10- Standard issue sidearm, 6 shot .38 revolver.
- Remington 870- Standard issue shotgun, loaded with less-than-lethal 12 Gauge bean-bag rounds.
- Federal Model 201-Z Riot Gun - Standard issue anti-riot gun, loaded with less-than-lethal CS rounds.
- AR-15- Standard issue rifle, loaded with 5.56x45 round magazines, only to be issued as a final resort when the situation encountered is uncontrollable or the target is far away from the PTU (400m or less).
Vehicles[]
Hong Kong Police Force Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000 armoured personnel carrier
Hong Kong Police Force Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000 armoured personnel carrier
- Mercedes-Benz Vario
- Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
- Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000 armoured personnel carrier.
In popular culture[]
- The unit is portrayed in the 2003 film PTU, directed by Johnnie To.
- 2007 TVB series On The First Beat
- The unit is also portrayed in the 2009 film series Tactical Unit, directed by Johnnie To and with the same leading actors and actress of the 2003 film PTU.
- The PTU also appear briefly in The Sniper 2009.
See also[]
External links[]
The original article can be found at Police Tactical Unit (Hong Kong) and the edit history here.