Hi everyone,
Thought you'd like to know that Channel i will screen a story on Police Security Command (SecCom, i.e. the bodyguards for VIPs) tonight (May 16) on their 20:30 hrs bulletin.

Channel U will have the story at 22:00 hrs, so will Channel 5 news.

Special forces junkies may wish to note that the guys in black who come out of the Pajero with tinted windows are armed with two types of pistols - one on a hip holster and the other strapped to their ballistic vest. The action sequence with flash bangs etc happens rather fast so u have to watch carefully.

Enjoy!

are they special force too?

how to join them?

Originally posted by Can Do:

are they special force too?

how to join them?

SecCom is not quite special forces like, say, the SOF. Neither is the STAR unit, but selection criteria for SecCom is high, they do have a "hell week" and their kit looks like the kind used by special forces teams, so I'd rate them as a special police unit.

You can apply and ask to attend the unit's selection trial.

SecCom's white Volvo S70s and a Pajero will perform tonight. The newspaper articles will be out tomorrow. I didn't write it but attended the filming to observe (i.e. kay poh, as usual).

well, the elizabeth gwee is cute

Must have perfect eyesight right..?

yes and high score in shooting, plus point if you are taekwondo black belt and u need to be in police force and only singaporeans can apply, once i heard a malaysian pr tried several times to apply got rejected.

SINGAPORE : In a sign of the times, the Police Security Command, whose mission is to protect VIPs in Singapore, has seen its manpower and capabilities increased by a factor of 50 percent over the past four years.

From simple bodyguard duties, the officers now use the latest hi-tech gear and have greater fire power.

The incident that led to the start of VIP protection here was the 1950 attempt on the life of governor of the Straits Settlement of Singapore.

More than half a century later, the job is more complex and more dangerous.

Where close protection would have been enough in the past, now fully-decked out Counter Assault Teams with high-powered weapons are on hand to neutralise terrorist attacks.

Working under these demanding conditions means security officers must be experts in close quarter combat, unarmed combat, and weapons handling.

And now sniper cover has just become part of VVIP protection.

But the hardware is only as good as the person with his finger on the trigger.

And it is no easy target.

At a distant of 185 metres, snipers have to hit a target, called a clay pigeon, that is just 10 centimetres in diameter. If it were a human head, it would have disintegrated.

One of the latest additions to the Security Command's high tech arsenal are four robots for Counter Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs.

This gives officers a first response capability when facing suspicious items.

Cameras and eavesdropping devices are also used to help detect undesirable elements who might be planning an attack against any VVIP.

These Counter Surveillance officers provide a birds' eye view of the surrounding area and can give early warning to the security officers who are guarding the VVIPs.

Contrary to the human instinct to run from danger, these officers are ready, willing and able to do the opposite to protect lives.

How do they do it?

"It's a matter of training, training an officer to react against his natural instincts. To look at the situation, to respond quickly, and not just to react to his own instincts, but to be able to respond with the kind of training that he's been given, and to do it every single time," said Assistant Superintendent Kelvin Sng of the Police Security Command.

And just how do the families of these men take to them putting their lives on the line for someone else?

"I explained to them the kind of preparation and training we've gone through. They realise to some extent that their worries are unfounded. I do believe that it's actually an honour to serve in the unit," said ASP Sng. - CNA

Originally posted by ChineseJunk:

SecCom is not quite special forces like, say, the SOF. Neither is the STAR unit, but selection criteria for SecCom is high, they do have a "hell week" and their kit looks like the kind used by special forces teams, so I'd rate them as a special police unit.

You can apply and ask to attend the unit's selection trial.

SecCom's white Volvo S70s and a Pajero will perform tonight. The newspaper articles will be out tomorrow. I didn't write it but attended the filming to observe (i.e. kay poh, as usual).

So wat's the diff bet Star and Seccom? which is the better one, any idea wats their selection criteria like?

How come you can attend the filming?

Looking back at the news,nw they have made their lives a tad more difficult.Have always wondered why is there a black landrover wit tinted screens trailing the main convoy.Now we know.So,since our good ol' terrorist are always prowling for a lapse in defences,now they have one delievered to them,courtesy of the SPF.

And the way the bodyguards in suits and ties exit the vehicle and draw their guns,it takes too long.If you remember,they got out of the vehicle before drawing their guns,how dumb can that be man?You can get shot while you are at that.The VIP being protected,should also be dressed in the same clothing as those protecting him,this will make him less conspicious.

With this shortclip,our dear terrorist friends now know which vehicle to take out 1st,as the vehicle that is holding the tactical team,holds the big guns=big danger.And just wondering,comparing with well-established bodyguard services like the SAS VIP Protection Team and the American Secret Service [which screw up and got Kennedy killed] its a wonder that the Sercurity Command equips the men with more potent firepower like a H&K G36C or MP5Ks at least.Lastly,hope there are some people from SPF reading this,and improve their procedures and techniques

STAR is the elite in SPF loh. For both SecCom and STAR u must be a PO 1st b4 u can join. SecCom's CAT, Counter Sniper blahblahblah is just a small squad in SecCom...and shooting at 185m isn't at all difficult. the same can be done at 400m, 800m....no big deal, u just need a higher mag scope and steadier hands. somemore they using AWP which is idiot-proof, u dun really need to turn the 2 knobs much except to compensate for distance, especially in Singapore where the temperature stays relatively the same, doesn't snow and doesn't have heavy rainfall like in Europe or UK/US.

I have read the newspaper, saw dat the observer is wearing a veil, wah liew....not needed lah. if u have chosen a goodspot and is wearing a suitable colour attire, veil or without veil is the same.

Selection is 1/5 make it ? ha....dats alot. CAT's role is very very limited loh....could be replaced by STAR also, they also do VIp/VVIp/VVVVVVVVVVVVVIP escort mah.

Hellweek? aiyah, small case niah....if u are already a SecCom officer, wat else is new liao.

heeheee…previously they were using Glock19 semi auto pistol…..now i not sure leow…....most of them my friends…....one even have to remove the glass from the minister’s hand after the minister emptied his drink…....so don’t be taken in by the actions in the documentary…....most jobs are very very very lowwwwwwwww key

Originally posted by 2004Lancer:

heeheee...previously they were using Glock19 semi auto pistol.....now i not sure leow.......most of them my friends.......one even have to remove the glass from the minister's hand after the minister emptied his drink.......so don't be taken in by the actions in the documentary.......most jobs are very very very lowwwwwwwww key

now is USP...last time is Glock and the normal NPCO revolver. alot of things is super exagerrated on TV and i mean really super....

Originally posted by SpecOps87:

Looking back at the news,nw they have made their lives a tad more difficult.Have always wondered why is there a black landrover wit tinted screens trailing the main convoy.Now we know.So,since our good ol' terrorist are always prowling for a lapse in defences,now they have one delievered to them,courtesy of the SPF.

And the way the bodyguards in suits and ties exit the vehicle and draw their guns,it takes too long.If you remember,they got out of the vehicle before drawing their guns,how dumb can that be man?You can get shot while you are at that.The VIP being protected,should also be dressed in the same clothing as those protecting him,this will make him less conspicious.

With this shortclip,our dear terrorist friends now know which vehicle to take out 1st,as the vehicle that is holding the tactical team,holds the big guns=big danger.And just wondering,comparing with well-established bodyguard services like the SAS VIP Protection Team and the American Secret Service [which screw up and got Kennedy killed] its a wonder that the Sercurity Command equips the men with more potent firepower like a H&K G36C or MP5Ks at least.Lastly,hope there are some people from SPF reading this,and improve their procedures and techniques

About the Kennedy assasination..it wasn't the secret service's fault, at that era (1960s), Presidents don't travel in all armoured cars like now, it was a different time.

Originally posted by SpecOps87:

.Have always wondered why is there a black landrover wit tinted screens trailing the main convoy.Now we know.So,since our good ol' terrorist are always prowling for a lapse in defences,now they have one delievered to them,courtesy of the SPF.

And the way the bodyguards in suits and ties exit the vehicle and draw their guns,it takes too long.If you remember,they got out of the vehicle before drawing their guns,how dumb can that be man?You can get shot while you are at that.The VIP being protected,should also be dressed in the same clothing as those protecting him,this will make him less conspicious.

With this shortclip,our dear terrorist friends now know which vehicle to take out 1st,as the vehicle that is holding the tactical team,holds the big guns=big danger.And just wondering,comparing with well-established bodyguard services like the SAS VIP Protection Team and the American Secret Service [which screw up and got Kennedy killed] its a wonder that the Sercurity Command equips the men with more potent firepower like a H&K G36C or MP5Ks at least.Lastly,hope there are some people from SPF reading this,and improve their procedures and techniques

That isn't really NEW news. Why, it's common to have a heavy vehicle for the people carrying the heavier stuff.

Now, im no bodyguard. But i have read up on this sparingly. Perhaps you have drawn a loaded pistol in the confines of a vehicle, under fire, and having to protect your principal? In such conditions, it should be more advisable to exit vehicle before taking aim, and engaging targets.

Let me tell you something, which you may or may not know of. There is a order somewhere in the GOMs which state clearly that any information released to the media has to go through several layers of vetting, one of which is MSD.

More often than not, a amount of disinformation is inserted in.
Further more, your choice of weapons is slightly flawed. If they were equipped with G36Cs and MP5Ks, what would be the practical purpose?

A M4 fitted with a Aimpoint and Surefire will do the job just fine. Besides, the heavy guys were filmed carrying full sized MP5s. Why should they use MP5Ks?

If there's something really missing, it's the usage of HEAVIER weapons by the assault force. A good example of what happens when RPGs and MGs are used against a convoy is shown in Clear and Present Danger.

But the people higher up thought of that, didn't they? So there'd be 40mm AGLs and Armbursts *somewhere*

Brother Jonhson,the purpose of having a H&K MP-5K or G36C is such that hard-hitting automatic fire-power can be deployed.And you point bout the M4 with Aimpoint,thats not a bad choice too.The idea of bodyguarding is,that when confronted with danger,the bodyguards will swiftly,evacuated the principle[the person being being protected] and ensure he{the principle] is not met with any danger.And after that,go after the baddies.And you said something bout them having Armbursts and 40mm GLs?NAhz...I don't think so.It will do too much collateral damage to the area and likely hood of injuring civilians is too great.So the thing is that no matter what weapon you use,you must be able to get your principle out ALIVE.

And me comparing the fact bout the guys in suits drawing their guns only after exiting the vehicle not making tactical sense is this.Look,you are in a vehicle,and the fact is that the vehicle is armoured.So,you have time to draw your weapon and make sure you are locked and loaded,while the Tatical team are behind shooting the crap out of the baddies,thus occupying them and covering you.And upon exiting,you may be met with some tango who is willing to shoot you point blank.So,having a gun drawn,it will at least give you a split second more to engage the tango instead of having to draw.Think of it this way,you have a gun and you are already in the midst of a gunfight,would you wait till you are outta protection then draw your gun or will you make sure that the moment you are out of the vehicle,anyone who tries to be funny with you is met with a hail of accurate and deadly 9mms?

Think about it.

Brother Jonhson,the purpose of having a H&K MP-5K or G36C is such that hard-hitting automatic fire-power can be deployed.And you point bout the M4 with Aimpoint,thats not a bad choice too.The idea of bodyguarding is,that when confronted with danger,the bodyguards will swiftly,evacuated the principle[the person being being protected] and ensure he{the principle] is not met with any danger.And after that,go after the baddies.And you said something bout them having Armbursts and 40mm GLs?NAhz...I don't think so.It will do too much collateral damage to the area and likely hood of injuring civilians is too great.So the thing is that no matter what weapon you use,you must be able to get your principle out ALIVE.

And me comparing the fact bout the guys in suits drawing their guns only after exiting the vehicle not making tactical sense is this.Look,you are in a vehicle,and the fact is that the vehicle is armoured.So,you have time to draw your weapon and make sure you are locked and loaded,while the Tatical team are behind shooting the crap out of the baddies,thus occupying them and covering you.And upon exiting,you may be met with some tango who is willing to shoot you point blank.So,having a gun drawn,it will at least give you a split second more to engage the tango instead of having to draw.Think of it this way,you have a gun and you are already in the midst of a gunfight,would you wait till you are outta protection then draw your gun or will you make sure that the moment you are out of the vehicle,anyone who tries to be funny with you is met with a hail of accurate and deadly 9mms?

Think about it.

Brother Jonhson,the purpose of having a H&K MP-5K or G36C is such that hard-hitting automatic fire-power can be deployed.And you point bout the M4 with Aimpoint,thats not a bad choice too.The idea of bodyguarding is,that when confronted with danger,the bodyguards will swiftly,evacuated the principle[the person being being protected] and ensure he{the principle] is not met with any danger.And after that,go after the baddies.And you said something bout them having Armbursts and 40mm GLs?NAhz...I don't think so.It will do too much collateral damage to the area and likely hood of injuring civilians is too great.So the thing is that no matter what weapon you use,you must be able to get your principle out ALIVE.

And me comparing the fact bout the guys in suits drawing their guns only after exiting the vehicle not making tactical sense is this.Look,you are in a vehicle,and the fact is that the vehicle is armoured.So,you have time to draw your weapon and make sure you are locked and loaded,while the Tatical team are behind shooting the crap out of the baddies,thus occupying them and covering you.And upon exiting,you may be met with some tango who is willing to shoot you point blank.So,having a gun drawn,it will at least give you a split second more to engage the tango instead of having to draw.Think of it this way,you have a gun and you are already in the midst of a gunfight,would you wait till you are outta protection then draw your gun or will you make sure that the moment you are out of the vehicle,anyone who tries to be funny with you is met with a hail of accurate and deadly 9mms?

Think about it.

Originally posted by SpecOps87:

Brother Jonhson,the purpose of having a H&K MP-5K or G36C is such that hard-hitting automatic fire-power can be deployed.

Think about it.

It seems to me that you have a problem spelling. And a quick trigger finger.

Your idea of HK G36Cs and MP5Ks for the bodyguards is clearly flawed. At least for the close protection team (the guys in suits) in this scenario.

(Besides the point is the COST involved in purchasing a new weapon system, when available weapons will do the job)

The VIP was travelling in a motorcade which was attacked with small-arms fire. The guards debus, while covering their principal, and the heavier guys do their thing.

Now, i don't know if your familiar with body armor, but the close-in guards CANNOT wear too heavy a vest as it will be obvious, and more to the point, just plain tiring. So... give them Class IIA armor.

Couple that with the fact that HEAVIER guys are already engaging the enemy. Why should lightly armed people shoot it out with guys who might be armed to the teeth?

Logically, their first task is to escort the VIP away, so they should haul ass.

Do you need a complete short how-to lesson on VIP protection, beginning with motorcades (composition, TTP, weapons, bus drills)? I can give you a long post on that, if need be.

Oh, and i don't know about you, but.... i do not want to engage anyone with 9mm rounds if i can help it. Especially if their using rifle caliber weapons. Did you know how much a 9mm can penetrate, vis-a-vis a 5.56? The effective range?

The longest 9mm weapon in general usage is the Calico M100. 9mm, helical feed 100 round magazine. With a rifle-length barrel, it's only lethal at... less than rifle ranges.

Originally posted by SpecOps87:

swiftly,evacuated the principle[the person being being protected] and ensure he{the principle] is not met with any danger.And after that,go after the baddies.And you said something bout them having Armbursts and 40mm GLs?

.Think of it this way,you have a gun and you are already in the midst of a gunfight,would you wait till you are outta protection then draw your gun or will you make sure that the moment you are out of the vehicle,anyone who tries to be funny with you is met with a hail of accurate and deadly 9mms?

Think about it.

Since your a amateur IPSC shooter, i put this question to you.
Next time, in your vehicle, simulate a robbery by multiple armed suspects, and attempt to get 2 Alpha for each of them.

Oh, and ideally, there should be lots of sirens, loud noises, and sparklers around. To simulate a combat situation, you see.
In that atmosphere, keeping cool, drawing a weapon from concealment, aiming, and firing all inside the vehicle is DIFFICULT.

Oh, and have you forgotten that being bodyguards, they should be alert, and on the first sign of trouble, they should do a 180, and try to get out? Failing that, signal for help, while debussing and firing. Note: DEBUS first, then engage the enemy.

IPSC teaches you to hit a TARGET.
IDPA teaches you to hit a PERSON.

well…1 simple reason why u should not shoot from inside the vehicle, if they have a RPG, they just need to whack the vehicle to kill all the people….1 stone kill all birds. if u are outside the vehicle, u still have time to dive for cover. sigh….alot of things is outside theory one and there is more than reason why MP-5 is used…dun look at it from ‘i-know-firearms-more-than-you-do’ angle….such knowledge doesn’t apply here….there is so much to learn and unless u are in SecCom or STAR or specialised law enforcement unit, else u won’t pick it up.

Originally posted by Johnston:

It seems to me that you have a problem spelling. And a quick trigger finger.

Your idea of HK G36Cs and MP5Ks for the bodyguards is clearly flawed. At least for the close protection team (the guys in suits) in this scenario.

(Besides the point is the COST involved in purchasing a new weapon system, when available weapons will do the job)

The VIP was travelling in a motorcade which was attacked with small-arms fire. The guards debus, while covering their principal, and the heavier guys do their thing.

Now, i don't know if your familiar with body armor, but the close-in guards CANNOT wear too heavy a vest as it will be obvious, and more to the point, just plain tiring. So... give them Class IIA armor.

Couple that with the fact that HEAVIER guys are already engaging the enemy. Why should lightly armed people shoot it out with guys who might be armed to the teeth?

Logically, their first task is to escort the VIP away, so they should haul ass.

Do you need a complete short how-to lesson on VIP protection, beginning with motorcades (composition, TTP, weapons, bus drills)? I can give you a long post on that, if need be.

Oh, and i don't know about you, but.... i do not want to engage anyone with 9mm rounds if i can help it. Especially if their using rifle caliber weapons. Did you know how much a 9mm can penetrate, vis-a-vis a 5.56? The effective range?

The longest 9mm weapon in general usage is the Calico M100. 9mm, helical feed 100 round magazine. With a rifle-length barrel, it's only lethal at... less than rifle ranges.

sorry to say u only know the surface of arms used and the data u know are only theory stuff. its more than range and penetration why MP-5 is used. the real reason why MP-5 is commonly used worldwide is more than its accuracy, accuracy is a factor, there is more to it but unless u are into law enforcement, u won't know the hidden reasons.

seems like u really do not know why are the snipers deployed for. they are there not only to provide highground precise fire support, its more than dat....

take off your 'i-have-read-up-on-arms' hat and put on the tactical hat.

fits only wide to engage them with 9mm rounds, reason ? ha, think more than what u can find on the net. the internet is biased to give u the penetration, range blahblahblah which u can easily find by going to the maker's website. penetration and range is not really dat important and penetration should be kept to minimal but effective under their scenario due to by-standers and other vehicles....its an assault, the baddies are within 100m, MP-5 will suffice definitely and if they have body-armour, lets see if they have effective kevlar covering their face...if they are far, they won't be agle to pull out the assault effectively unless they are well-trained and there is no way they can pull it out far away also due to some reasons dat i cannot reveal here. so if they are near, the officers can always give them a NRZ shot if they are really have BA. Its more on tactics and skill rather than firepower. You can give a normal guy an AK with Reflex and a trained guy a MP-5 with just the ghostring sight, see what u will get.

Originally posted by Johnston:

Since your a amateur IPSC shooter, i put this question to you.
Next time, in your vehicle, simulate a robbery by multiple armed suspects, and attempt to get 2 Alpha for each of them.

Oh, and ideally, there should be lots of sirens, loud noises, and sparklers around. To simulate a combat situation, you see.
In that atmosphere, keeping cool, drawing a weapon from concealment, aiming, and firing all inside the vehicle is DIFFICULT.

Oh, and have you forgotten that being bodyguards, they should be alert, and on the first sign of trouble, they should do a 180, and try to get out? Failing that, signal for help, while debussing and firing. Note: DEBUS first, then engage the enemy.

IPSC teaches you to hit a TARGET.
IDPA teaches you to hit a PERSON.

180 and get out ? ha....i really hope u are joking. when under an assault in a vehicle, u never drive back, u drive forward even more or stop and engage depending on the scenario...1 reason is safety on the road, the other is tactical reason which i will not discuss here. PM me and i tell u.

Originally posted by chunyong:

sorry to say u only know the surface of arms used and the data u know are only theory stuff. its more than range and penetration why MP-5 is used. the real reason why MP-5 is commonly used worldwide is more than its accuracy, accuracy is a factor, there is more to it but unless u are into law enforcement, u won't know the hidden reasons.

seems like u really do not know why are the snipers deployed for. they are there not only to provide highground precise fire support, its more than dat....

take off your 'i-have-read-up-on-arms' hat and put on the tactical hat.

fits only wide to engage them with 9mm rounds, reason ? ha, think more than what u can find on the net. the internet is biased to give u the penetration, range blahblahblah which u can easily find by going to the maker's website. penetration and range is not really dat important and penetration should be kept to minimal but effective under their scenario due to by-standers and other vehicles....its an assault, the baddies are within 100m, MP-5 will suffice definitely and if they have body-armour, lets see if they have effective kevlar covering their face...if they are far, they won't be agle to pull out the assault effectively unless they are well-trained and there is no way they can pull it out far away also due to some reasons dat i cannot reveal here. so if they are near, the officers can always give them a NRZ shot if they are really have BA. Its more on tactics and skill rather than firepower. You can give a normal guy an AK with Reflex and a trained guy a MP-5 with just the ghostring sight, see what u will get.

u left out the fact that the MP5 seldom jams

Johnston,I'm going to say it one last time:Step 1,Draw arms in vehicle,Step 2,Lock and Load,Step 3,De-bus/exit vehicle,Step 4,move principle to a safe place/escape vehicle and Step 5,Engage the hostiles.

And why did I say that the guys in the suits,should retun and help with the firefight?Simple,think of it this way,in the scenario shown,you have four tactical officers engaging an unknown number of hostiles.However they do know your number.So,what if you were one of the four tactical officers who are severly out-numbered?Wearin Level III body armour doesn't make you god you know.And simply having another guy who knows what to do on your side helping you out makes a difference.

And my point of them having something firing 5.56 like the G-36C is that it will penetrate a vehicle's engine block.Which I doubt a 9mm can do.So,a carbine weapon like G-36C,M-4,Car-15,Colt Commandoes are essential too.Since they are a roving motorcade,how can have snipers to cover every part of the route right?Even mobilise entire SPF sniper unit plus request SAF snipers to join also not enough to cover lorz...And so far,none of this has happened yet.Correct me if i'm wrong,but even durin President Bush's visit,there is no choppers trailing the convoy neither is there so many snipers deployed around the motorcade.

And imagine,what a .50cal sniper rifle like the Barret Light Fifty can do to your armoured motorcade?And a couple of LAWS or RPGS to add alittle spice to the already hot firepower involved?

Oh before I forget,Johnston,its not impossibe to get all douple taps in the Alpha region.I can slowly aim and take all day.Its about speed and accuracy here mate.It defeats the purpose if you shoot very accurately but take an a full 10minutes to engage 6 targets.And yes,I do agree that it is not easy to do so in a firefight,but in real-life,what counts is not the amount of Alphas you get.But the point here is that,you shoot the bugger,and make sure he goes down,and stays down.If he doesn’t,give him a couple more so that you get a life insurance that the bugger stays down.