Snow Wolf Commando Unit
Encyclopedia
The Snow Leopard Commando Unit (Abbreviation
: SLCU; Simplified Chinese: 雪豹突击队) is a special police unit of the People's Republic of China
under the People's Armed Police, tasked with counter-terrorism
, riot control
, and other special tasks such as anti-hijacking
, and bomb disposal
. The SLCU, along with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau's Beijing SWAT unit, was tasked with many of the security responsibilities of the 2008 Summer Olympics
. Officially, the SLCU is known to be as the 3rd Group, 13th Detachment, People's Armed Police Beijing General Corp.
The former Snow Wolf name was bestowed on the unit because of the known tenacity of arctic wolves
and their ability to both survive and thrive in extremely harsh conditions.
unit were unveiled in a demonstration at the Beijing Police Academy on April 27, 2006 as part of a public relations effort to illustrate the capabilities of the People's Armed Police to deal with terrorism
, protection of delegates, and to enforce law and order in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The SLCU had participated in anti-terrorist exercises with Russia on September 4, 2007 known as "Cooperation-2007."
The unit had undergone a name change from its first name, now known officially as the Snow Leopard Commando Unit. According to Qu Liangfeng, a senior PAP officer in charge of the daily operations of SLCU, he said the name change was "inspired by the story of a brave and cunning snow leopard, which escaped an ambush by a hunter and his eight hunting dogs."
The officers who are eventually selected for the course go through an arduous period of physical training, driving lessons for various vehicles, and weapons training. Their physical training includes 200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 100 squats, lifting barbells 200 times and carrying a 35 kg load for a 10 km cross-country run. They are then assigned to the Beijing General Corps' 13th Detachment, where the SLCU is based.
QBZ-95
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: SLCU; Simplified Chinese: 雪豹突击队) is a special police unit of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
under the People's Armed Police, tasked with counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
, riot control
Riot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
, and other special tasks such as anti-hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
, and bomb disposal
Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
. The SLCU, along with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau's Beijing SWAT unit, was tasked with many of the security responsibilities of the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. Officially, the SLCU is known to be as the 3rd Group, 13th Detachment, People's Armed Police Beijing General Corp.
The former Snow Wolf name was bestowed on the unit because of the known tenacity of arctic wolves
Arctic Wolf
The Arctic Wolf , also called Polar Wolf or White Wolf, is a subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a mammal of the family Canidae. Arctic Wolves inhabit the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and the northern parts of Greenland....
and their ability to both survive and thrive in extremely harsh conditions.
History
After its secret establishment in October 2002, the SWCU unit had been trained out of the public eye for five years. The SWCU and the Beijing SWATBeijing SWAT
The Beijing Special Weapons and Tactics Unit is a police unit in the People's Republic of China that deals with incidents beyond the capabilities of normal patrol officers such as hostage situations, high risk warrants and riot control...
unit were unveiled in a demonstration at the Beijing Police Academy on April 27, 2006 as part of a public relations effort to illustrate the capabilities of the People's Armed Police to deal with terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, protection of delegates, and to enforce law and order in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The SLCU had participated in anti-terrorist exercises with Russia on September 4, 2007 known as "Cooperation-2007."
The unit had undergone a name change from its first name, now known officially as the Snow Leopard Commando Unit. According to Qu Liangfeng, a senior PAP officer in charge of the daily operations of SLCU, he said the name change was "inspired by the story of a brave and cunning snow leopard, which escaped an ambush by a hunter and his eight hunting dogs."
Training and selection
Only officers who have served in the People's Armed Police for a period of 1 to 2 years are eligible to apply, after which they will be put through a process of interviews, physical and psychological tests. The current average age (as of 2006) of SLCU officers is 22 years, as most of them entered the unit when they were about 18, thus making them amongst the youngest in the counter-terrorism community.The officers who are eventually selected for the course go through an arduous period of physical training, driving lessons for various vehicles, and weapons training. Their physical training includes 200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 100 squats, lifting barbells 200 times and carrying a 35 kg load for a 10 km cross-country run. They are then assigned to the Beijing General Corps' 13th Detachment, where the SLCU is based.