SWAT elite force ready to undertake the impossible

By Kurulu Kariyakarawana

It was the noon of Friday, June 29, 2012. Over 250 inmates of the Vavuniya Prison including a large number of political prisoners staged a massive hunger strike protesting over the alleged assault and torture on one of the inmates by the prison management. The rebelling inmates took three guards into custody and shut down the entire premises making no entry for any law enforcement force. Several hundred heads of local police and the military backed by Army Commandos tried to penetrate the tall and well-fortified prison walls but failed due to continuous pelting of stones by the inmates. Out of sheer desperation the heads of the police department depended on their last resort -the SWAT force was brought into the scene.

In training at Katukurunda

During the prison turmoil, what SWAT did was seemingly impossible for another armed force to imagine. Several eight man units started firing number of tear gas canisters into the prison before breaking into the premises through blocked entrances and climbing over the walls. Well equipped with guns and gas masks SWAT crashed into the prison compound, which was already covered in a dense cloud of tear gas crippling the violent inmates who continued to pelt stones and solid objects at the penetrating forces. It took a few moments for these specialised men to get a hold of the situation and rescue the three prison guards unscathed from a dangerous hostage drama in history.

As you may have seen in Hollywood style blockbuster action films, where a contingent of heavily armoured armed men crash into panic stricken scenes of exchanging fire in a Black armoured van displaying the letters S.W.A.T. The acronym stands for Special Weapons And Tactics, a specially trained elite force armed with the most modern weapons to meet any type of contingency. It is a commonly used name for law enforcement units, which use military-style light weapons and specialised tactics in high-risk operations that fall outside the capabilities of the regular, uniformed police force. "SWAT" is commonly used internationally, as a colloquial generic term for these units.

Their duties include confronting heavily armed criminals, performing hostage rescue and counter-terrorism operations, high risk arrests and entering armoured or barricaded buildings. Such units are often equipped with specialised firearms including submachine guns, assault rifles, breaching shotguns, sniper rifles, riot control agents and stun grenades. They have specialised equipment including heavy body armour, ballistic shields, entry tools, armoured vehicles, advanced night vision optics and motion detectors for covertly determining the positions of hostages or hostage takers inside enclosed structures.

Well like the USA or any other super power Sri Lanka now has its own SWAT team under the paramilitary wing of the Police Department, the Special Task Force. The necessity to form SWAT in Sri Lanka was mainly felt following the Mumbai terror attacks in November, 2008 that killed 164 and wounded over 300 within four days.

Since a militarily powerful country like India was not ready to face such an unexpected blow concerning local terrorist activities, which was at its peak, the need to establish a specialised unit to fight in close quarter combats was lengthily discussed by top security officials.

Also to handle VVIP security from the local terrorist outfit and to face any high threat situation, SWAT was set up on November 30, 2008, just a day after the four-day gruesome Mumbai attack was brought under control. By that time the state intelligence services had received credible information leading to pre-planned attacks on key economic centres in the city as well as airports and sea ports to detach the country from foreign aid and assistance. Action had to be taken and it had to be fast.

The then Inspector General of Police, Jayantha Wickramaratne ordered Senior Deputy Inspector General Mahinda Balasuriya to work out a system to form a specialised unit. SDIG Balasuriya ordered the STF to look into the matter as it was the elite force of the Police. Then STF Commandant DIG Sarathchandra Ranawana took the initiative to form the new unit with a handful of skilled officers in his wing. ASP Lakshman Abeykoon, Chief Inspectors R M Wimalaratne and Sanjaya Attigala who had had an initial specialised training at the Los Angeles SWAT in early nineties commenced the unit.

The trainees for the new unit were absorbed from the regular STF cadre. Those who have completed the basic STF course was subjected to an intense physical training from which the trainees for SWAT were selected. The selection was done on a merit base that depended on the personal endurance and stamina of the trainees. The selected personnel were given a special training at the STF Training School in Katukurunda. Initially a batch of 80 personnel completed the training and formed SWAT.

ASP SWAT Lakshman Abeykoon told the Sunday Observer that the trainees will have to master 13 different courses during a period of several months.

They will be first given a training on the most important course of all, the Close Quarter Battle and Hostage Rescue. This will teach them how to face an enemy in an enclosed urban facility apart from the usual jungle fighting. Personnel will be trained to fight an armed enemy in a public environment without hurting a single civilian and to rescue a hostage from a high risk situation without any harm being done to the victim.

Next they will be given a comprehensive training on weapon handling and firing. How to use special weapons which the normal armed forces would not get to handle. Training on special automatic guns like MP5, Uzi, Pistols like Nine MM, Browning, Glock and Shot Guns. In other words they will get to handle the most latest weapons being handled by the troops in USA and Israel. Samples of all these modern weapons have been provided to the SWAT armoury to conduct their trainings and missions.

Basic Parachute course is a must where it will enable the troops to enter into high elevated positions or buildings by air and carry out rescue operations. Sri Lanka Air Force is conducting this course whilst the SL Navy is giving them a water borne course to be familiarised with great depths and rough waters. Abseiling, rappelling and slithering will assist them to climb down any height with confidence and skilfully.

The rest of the training includes explosives handling and tracking, unarmed fighting with mix martial arts skills, a first aid course, high-tech equipment handling course and training on riot control. Riot control has taken a prominent training these days to control mobs with using minimum force. The SWAT also has a special motorcycle rider course and VIP vehicle backup training to master driving skills in a special environment.

The knowledge in intelligence service will enable them to act discretely and find information about the enemy forces. One of the chief responsibilities the SWAT has is to handle VIP security and backup. Since 2008 the SWAT has been covering the security of all the foreign political and other VIPs. When a state leader visits Sri Lanka, the VIP will be provided with a 24 hour SWAT team.

The recent visit of Maldives President and its Police Commissioner as well as the visiting Pakistan Cricket team were provided with SWAT units. For the past few years SWAT has conducted a range of missions including arrests of most wanted underworld drug kingpins like Faji and Mamasmi, the recent major heroin detection in Kelaniya, riot control at the recent Aluthgama clashes and Rathupaswala public unrest.

They will also be used to transport high profile LTTE suspects detained at the Boossa Camp to various outstation courts of law.

OIC SWAT CI Sagara Kulasekara will take orders from ASP Abeykoon and STF Commandant Ranjith Perera in dispatching units to any part of the country depending on the gravity of the situation.

The unit remains under the direct supervision of IGP N K Illangakoon who will decide when to summon this special force. Always trying to master power, speed and accuracy, SWAT will remain as standby round the clock to respond to any out-of-hand eventuality. In 2009, a Constable attached to the service of the Police Hospital in Narahenpita took one of his fellow Women Police Constables hostage at gunpoint.

The daring cop who demanded certain things opened fire at the approaching police forces to retreat to safer locations. SWAT was summoned to take the situation under control and rescue the victim, which they did in due course without a mishap.