Elite Flying Tigers police squad still soars after 40 years in action
Elite police squad maintains a perfect record in hundreds of operations since its 1974 founding
Like many of its counterparts worldwide, the elite police tactical unit known as the Flying Tigers was established in the aftermath of the 1972 Munich massacre, in which 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September.
After the tragedy, governments across the globe, including the British colonial administration, saw the need for special counter-terrorism task forces.
Modelled on Britain's Special Air Service, Hong Kong established the Special Duties Unit in 1974 to conduct counter-terrorism work, hostage rescue and other high-stakes tactical operations. Members are known as the Flying Tigers for their exemplary courage.
The squad has always been something of a mystery to the public, as police have never spoken with the media, or released much information, about it. Squad members are bound by a confidentiality agreement not to reveal their job duties to anyone.
According to the force's official description, the SDU is positioned as a task force to deal with terrorist attacks as well as serious crimes that involve firearms or large-scale hostage taking.
The first generation of the squad used weapons the police force had on hand, but devised their own tactics. In 1978, an appraisal of the unit by the British SAS led to considerable changes in equipment and tactics, according to a past issue of the force's newspaper Offbeat.
Since its founding, the Flying Tigers have maintained an impeccable track record of zero failures in all 162 missions and 335 underwater searches they have conducted. A source with knowledge of the elite squad's training credited its success to strenuous physical and mental preparation.