Hong Kong police ‘Flying Tigers’ unit vows to keep claws sharp after 50 years of missions
- Hong Kong’s Special Duties Unit looks back on era of shoot-outs with armed criminals, but pledges to stay in top form to face new threats
“These types of cases have become few and far between, and crime trends have also changed, but we will not become lax. We are absolutely confident in our ability to handle this type of crime,” a force spokesman said.
While the Special Duties Unit, better known as the Flying Tigers, said the era of urban shoot-outs with heavily armed criminals appeared to be a thing of the past, its officers were continuing to improve their skills and equipment to prepare for future threats.
Considered one of the most elite and secretive units within the force, the squad was established in 1974 to conduct high-risk counterterrorism operations.
The move was prompted by the Munich massacre two years earlier, when 11 Israeli athletes were killed by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September during an attack and botched hostage situation as the German city hosted the Olympic Games.