Snow Leopard Commando Unit

Introduction 

The Snow Leopard Commando Unit is a special police unit of the Republic of China formed under the people’s armed police. Initially, this police unit was known as the snow wolf, the name used due to the known tenacity of the arctic wolves as well as being able to survive in conditions that are extremely harsh ( Liu & Chang, 2017 ). The SLCU in collaboration with other police agencies in China has been tasked with many responsibilities to ensure there is security in the country. The SLCU is usually known as the third group, 13th detachment, people’s armed Beijing general corpse. The name change was inspired by the story of a brave but cunning snow wolf, giving its new current name. Reports have shown that it only takes a Chinese Snow Leopard Commando Unit officer 0.6 seconds to take out their gun, load it and shoot. The officers have undergone extensive training in various fields including dealing with terrorists, maintaining law and order as well as containing riots and chaos. 

Overview of Literature 

In 2002, the then Snow Wolf Commando Unit went through training out of the public eye for five years period. After the training, the SWCU and the Beijing SWAT were unveiled to the police academy during the demonstration in 2006. This was part of the demonstration of the ability of these police units to deal with terror and enforce law and order in the Beijing Olympic which was to take place in 2008 ( Liu & Chang, 2017 ). Having previously participated in the exercise and training on dealing with terror in Russia, they got well-equipped with skills and tactics to deal with any security threats that a country could face. They later underwent a name change to become what it is today, the Snow leopard Commando Unit. 

Before joining the SLCU, an individual must have served in the People’s Armed Police for between one and two years. Any individual who has not previously served in the people’s armed police is not eligible to apply for the position of SLCU officer. After meeting that criteria, the individuals are taken through a series of interviews and tests. The selection of the people to join the SLCU is made from within the People’s Armed Police based on their excellent performance. The tests include both psychological and physical. In the psychological tests, individuals are taken through a thorough mental exercise to test their mental stability and ability to handle the psychological problems that come in the line of duty as an SLCU officer ( Liu & Chang, 2017 ). The physical tests involve the fitness tests and entail running and taking other tests to ensure one is fit. This goes for a period of three months where the recruits are eliminated based on their abilities. The individuals who are selected for the unit undergo a long period of both severe physical and psychological training. The primary physical training involved include 200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, lifting of barbells, 100 squats and carrying the 35-kilogram load over a 10 km distance .the training takes place for up to between three to five years in one or two major areas. After the end of the training period, these individuals are then assigned to the SLCU where they begin their duty. 

Agency Mission 

The major mission of the SLCU agency is to provide security and maintain law and order, counter-terrorism, riot control, bomb disposal, and anti-hijacking. It focuses on providing internal security and preventing any security threat from taking place. They also offer security to government buildings, foreign embassies and providing security at major events. As a branch of the People’s Armed Police, SLCU plays a key role in the major security areas with the focus being on counter-terror. 

Like it is the mission of any other police agency, the SLCU as a police unit has a role of cooperating with the members of the community to provide security and protect the property from destruction. They SLCU officers work in collaboration with other police units to detect and prevent ant security threats and ensure that there are law and order in society ( Lemieux, 2013 ). Maintaining law and order as a mission of the SLCU officers involves working together with the society members and other police agencies to identify the major threats to security and peace in the community and then take drastic measures to bring things back to normal. Because the SLCU officers have been taken through extensive training, they have the required skills and tactics to deal with any security threat and ensure that there are law and order in the community. 

Another security mission of the SLCU is to counter terrorism and prevent the security threats that arise due to acts of terror. Due to the ever rising rates of global terror, there is a need for every nation to have a specialized team of security charged with dealing with terror. The mission of the SLCU is to ensure that acts of terror are dealt with. This group of officers usually undergoes anti-terrorist exercises, and training in other nations such as Russia and this makes them fit for the mission of countering the terrorists and ensuring that they do not cause any security threat to the country. They are usually armed with a series of machines and weapons including QBZ-95 series rifles as well as a wide variety of guns and firearms ( Lemieux, 2013 ). The SLCU spends an estimated amount of $258000 in the armored equipment as well as the importation of the vehicles and equipment. Other equipment includes body armor and communication gadgets which are all used to handle security issues such as terror attacks. The agency has acquired the modern technologically advanced machines and equipment which are aimed at counter-attacking terrorists who are currently shifting to modern technology to accomplish their terror mission. 

The other responsibility and mission of the SLCU is riot control. They have been taken through training on how to deal with events such as riots that could lead to the destruction of properties and even loss of life. The SLCU officers have been provided with domestically armored personnel carriers specifically for controlling riots in the country and ensuring that there are maximum peace and stability. Working together with other police units, the SLCU keeps watch over the country’s security and detect and prevent any activities that are deemed to be a threat to the security of the state. Through their successful training, they have been able to control and end riots which have been seen as a security threat. The agency has other special tasks to perform other than riot control and counter-terrorists. The SLCU officers are in charge of anti-hijacking and bomb disposal ( Parello-Plesner & Duchâtel, 2014 ). They have specialized skills to handle the insecurity issues involving hijacking. They can get intelligence report before criminal activity such as hijacking and plan to counter it before it takes place. This has greatly helped the people of the Republic of China from such problems as those from taking place thus enhancing peace and security. 

They also have the security mission of doing bomb disposal. They can destroy bombs and grenades which have been set by terror groups to cause security harm to a group of people. An example of the security mission that the SLCU officers have been engaged in the provision of security by maintaining law and order, protection of the delegates and ensuring that there was no security threat during the 2008 Beijing Olympic ( Parello-Plesner & Duchâtel, 2014 ). The key mission of the agency is to enforce law and order and maintain security. They cover all the areas where the security of the country and its citizens are at risk by using their expertise and experience to control the security threat and maintain law and order. 

Agency Structure 

The SLCU has been in existence since 2002, but its existence was only revealed in August 2006. As a branch of the People’s Armed Police, SLCU is made up of around 400 officers. They are part of the 3rd group of the 13th detachment under the Beijing general corps ( Ryan, Mann & Stilwell, 2014 ). The original police service unit had been set up in Beijing. However, due to the rising rates of terror activities and the need to respond quickly to such attacks, there was an emphasis on having these police units within the states. Despite being in the countries, the police units remain answerable to the central government and enforce the same laws. It maintains a division-sized mechanized infantry unit and deployment is done rapidly. Previously, the agency has had a dual command structure with both the central military commission and the state council, all operating under the control of the ministry of public security. This is even as it remains under the control of the People’s Armed Police where it is a branch. However, the law was changed, and dual command structure removed leaving it under the control of the ministry of public security. The unit has a commander and many deputy commanders who are in charge of the operations of the agency. However, the commander takes instructions from the ministry of public security which is the one in charge of all security matters of the country. It also has contingents at the provincial levels and the armed divisions. 

The SLCU is made up of four different squadrons with each having specifically assigned responsibility. The ninth and tenth squadrons are charged with the responsibility of counter-terrorism. This is the major duty which they specialize and are composed of officers who have undergone specialized training on the matter of security. After having taken their training in other nations on the areas of terror attacks, the 9th and 10th squadrons are well equipped to perform their duty. The eleventh squadron, on the other hand, is charged with the removal of obstacles, bomb disposal, and anti-WMD terrorism ( Ryan, Mann & Stilwell, 2014 ). The weapon of mass destruction involves the radiological, chemical or nuclear that can kill a large number of people and destruction of a large number of properties. The 11th squadrons have the skills and tactics to identify and destroy a weapon of mass destruction before it can cause serious harm to people. 

The twelfth squadrons involve the officers who are snipers. They can operate and maintain visual contact at designated locations so that they can monitor the enemy and set targets for countering. They have been trained on the observation techniques so that they can identify and prevent a planned attack from taking place. All these officers work in coordination with each other and with the help of other police agencies under the People’s Armed Police. They receive instructions from the top commanders who are in turn under control from the ministry of public security. The March 2018 changes in the structure of the People’s Armed Police have also affected the way SLCU operates. Under the new changes, all the non-combatants elements of the PAP are to be eliminated. The PAP will now work with the central committee, but the overall control and powers remain with the ministry of public security ( Ryan, Mann & Stilwell, 2014 ). The SLCU commander has the power to deploy the officers in an area in case there is a security threat that requires an immediate response. This has been made to prevent the delays that have been witnessed in the long structures which have always led to the loss of lives for security issues which could have been contained had there been a quick response. The removal of the initial dual structure has led to an increase in the efficiency of the agency and quick response at the time of need. 

The decision to have China’s over 1.5 million police to be under the control and command of the Central Military Commission had been made to ensure that there is absolute control over the police and armed forces. Previously, the People’s Armed Police has been under the dual structure which has been denying the lower level authorities the power to order for the deployment of the officers to tackle any security threat in the country. Under the new structure and control, the PAP and all the branches under it, including the SLCU will be under the sole command of the CMC and will be chaired by the president ( Ryan, Mann & Stilwell, 2014 ). This move will now give the lower level authorities the power to deploy officers if there is a security threat that requires an immediate response. 

Success of the Snow Leopard Commando Unit 

One of the major successes of the SLCU is their engagement in the security operations during the 2008 Beijing Olympic. The SLCU led in the maintenance of law and order and provision of security to all people who attended the event. They also provided security to the delegates who were present at the event. Throughout the activity, there was no any security threat thus showing their success in the security engagement. The SLCU had also managed to counter the terror activities in the Xinjiang province where they managed to contain the situation and minimize the impacts that could have risen from the attacks ( Shichor, 2017 ). Through their experience in the anti-terror operations, the SLCU was successful in their mission to counter the terrorists and prevent the injuries and destruction of the properties. The SLCU has also emerged triumphant in their security missions in Afghanistan where they managed to end the security threats and bring back peace to the country. Other vital engagements that the SLCU officers have taken part in are guarding of the Chinese embassy and its officials in Iraq. Throughout their operations, the SLCU officers have managed to control a series of riots and protest in the country and bring back the nation to stability after the emergence of a security threat. 

The ability to control and contain the demonstration that erupted in Mongolia after the death of two ethnic Mongolia herders is another sign of the SLCU abilities to deal with the unrests in the country. As the demonstrations erupted, the security officers responded quickly, outnumbering the protestors and managing to cool down the situation. They have been responsible for the increased security in Inner Mongolia, an area that was initially marred with a lot of unrest and protests ( Shichor, 2017 ). Due to their experience and skills, they were able to control the demonstrations without causing death to any protestor, a situation which could have resulted in more unrest. In collaboration with the other police agencies, the SLCU have played a key role in maintaining security and enforcing law and order in the country. 

The SLCU had also issued a warning to the foreign embassies in Beijing of the possible attack against the western citizens in Sanlitun. This saw the security being beefed up in the area with a large number of Snow Leopard Commando Unit officers being deployed to help prevent an imminent attack. The SLCU officers managed to monitor the security in the area until things went back to normal. Whenever there was a security alert on the matters concerning possible terror attacks, the SLCU has always been the first agency within the People’s Armed Police to be deployed because they have specialized training in anti-terror. 

Failures of SLCU 

One of the key roles of the SLCU officers is to detect and prevent terrorism from taking place. However, the terror attack in Xinjiang province which led to the death of one person was not detected and blocked in advance. Attackers had driven a car into the government building and set off the explosives ( Shichor, 2017 ). The security officers, however, managed to respond quickly and kill the attackers before causing more deaths. However, the SLCU and the whole security department had been blamed for failing to get intelligence and prevent the attack from taking place instead of responding after it had been lost and properties destroyed. 

There had been other series of terror attacks at the resource-rich Xinjiang at the central Asian border. The violence has been between the Muslim Uighur group and the Han Chinese. Several lives have been lost in these unrests and attacks with the security to blame for failing to provide security in the region. The SLCU can take this continued unrest and attacks in Xinjiang as a failure on their part to end the unrests and restore peace in the area. 

Summary and conclusion 

The increasing incidences of global insecurity, especially the terror activities has led to many countries forming special police forces with specialized training on the matters of terror and anti-riot. This is to ensure that the country can counter terrorism and maintain security within the country by detecting and preventing such attacks from taking place. This reason led to the creation of China’s Snow Leopards Commando Unit, a special police unit within the People’s Armed Police that deals with mainly terror and riots. Due to the need to win the ever-rising war against terror, specialized training is necessary for such officers to remain active and effectively deliver their security role as required of them by the law. 

The SLCU has seen a change in its organization and structure through the PAP in an attempt to increase the efficiency of response to the attacks. The previous dual structured system did not give much power to the lower level authorities much power and this limited their ability to deploy the officers when there was an urgent need. However, the change of the structure has made it possible for these authorities to deploy the officers. SLCU has been appreciated for its success in many areas especially in the war against terror and maintaining law and order as well as controlling riots in various parts of the country. They remain to play a vital role in the security department of the Republic of China, and the agency’s contribution to the war against terror is something worth mentioning as their success. However, like any other police unit in the world. SLCU has not been without a few failures. 

References 

Lemieux, F. (Ed.). (2013).  International Police Cooperation: Emerging issues, theory and practice . Routledge. 

Liu, T. T. T., & Chang, K. M. (2017). In the Name of Integrity and Security: China’s Counterterrorist Policies. In  The Palgrave Handbook of Global Counterterrorism Policy  (pp. 667-689). Palgrave Macmillan, London. 

Parello-Plesner, J., & Duchâtel, M. (2014). China's ‘AfPak’hinterland.  Adelphi Papers ,  54 (451), 67-90. 

Ryan, M., Mann, C., & Stilwell, A. (2014).  The Encyclopedia of the World's Special Forces: Tactics, history, strategy, weapons . Amber Books Ltd. 

Shichor, Y. (2017). False alarm: Xinjiang and China’s national security. In  The Routledge Handbook of Asian Security Studies  (pp. 62-72). Routledge.