新加坡警隊聯同香港警隊進行演習 Eight officers earn the right to don the Marlin badge On 28 June 2014, eight officers finally earned the right to bear the Special Task Squadron (STS) insignia on their uniforms after close to a year of intense training. Their training culminated in a joint exercise with officers from the Small Boat Division (SBD) of the Hong Kong Marine Police (HKMP). Home Team News brings you the highlights! By Afiq Fitri Bin Alias Since 1994, the marlin has been the symbol used to represent the Special Task Squadron (STS) of the Police Coast Guard (PCG). The marlin is known to be one of the fastest and most persistent fishes in the sea, capable of swimming up to speeds of 80 kilometers per hour. According to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Desmond Ong, the Commanding Officer (CO) of the STS, the marlin’s speed perfectly encapsulates what the STS does. “We have to be swift in decisive when we carry out our operations,” he said. “It (the marlin) represents what we do in terms of high speed interceptions.” he STS is an elite unit of the PCG that combats hostile threats in the waters surrounding Singapore, effectively making them guardians of the country’s seas. STS officers are trained to board ships that host illegal immigrants and heavily armed suspects, and to commandeer boats which can go up to 40 knots in the water. On 28 June 2014, eight officers finally earned the right to bear the STS insignia on their uniforms after close to a year of intense training. Their training culminated in a joint exercise with officers from the Small Boat Division (SBD) of the Hong Kong Marine Police (HKMP). This joint exercise is a bi annual exchange between the STS and the HKMP which started in 2011 to understand each other’s capabilities and strengths and to further develop operational and training capabilities. Officers from both units displayed their capabilities in exercises that revolved around boarding a hostile vessel. Despite the language barrier, they worked in unison to overcome the obstacles posed to them in the exercise. These obstacles included stealthily boarding a vessel, launching grapnel hooks, movement in a confined area and the breaching of doors using both powered and manual method of entry (MOE) tools. Out of the eight officers, one stood out. Sergeant Michael (not his real name to protect the sensitive nature of the units operations) was awarded Best Trainee for his performance throughout the course. “At the start we were like strangers but as time went by we trained and went through the hard times together,” said the 27-year-old who first joined the Singapore Police Force in 2009. “Now we’re more like brothers.” “The final graduation exercise is something that is practiced by all graduating batches..this one is different because they had to work with their foreign counterparts and they were total strangers when they first met two weeks ago,” said ASP Ong. “Our officers have proven themselves worthy of the STS insignia.” Pic : “We have to be swift in decisive when we carry out our operations,” he said. “It (the marlin) represents what we do in terms of high speed interceptions.” PHOTO: Syed Abubakar Alsree hometeam.sg/article.aspx?news_sid=20140630Ga7zzMYL26hJ
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 08:31:20 +0000