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During Operation TIDERIDER, the Force has formed different working groups to offer support to frontline units. Traffic Management and Transport Working Group (TM&T WG) is one of these groups and plays the role to coordinate various Traffic Formations and Transport Division (TPT) in order to provide traffic and transport support for frontline officers during the Operation.
This article introduces the transport support provided by TPT since Operation TIDERIDER began last year :
(1) TPT has been maintaining close liaison with the Government Logistics Department (GLD) and transport service providers since June last year. Government vehicles have been on loan from other government departments whilst coaches and seven-seater vehicles have been hired from commercial entities for operational use.
(2) Since the operation began last year, some police vehicles have been damaged by rioters during the Operation. TPT has been cooperating closely with the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) to provide urgent repair for these vehicles so that they can be returned to the users for safe use as soon as possible.
(3) TPT Coordination Centre (TPTCC) operates 24 hours daily to coordinate the arrangement between the drivers of hired coaches and the liaison officers of various platoons of the Tier III Company. Moreover, TPTCC has also offered support to various Regional Response Contingents (RRCs) in solving transport issues, including as per the request of the Headquarters Command and Control Centre (HQCCC), arranging prisoner coaches as well as grab lorries on loan from other government departments to stand by at the designated locations so that they can be turned out when necessary to escort arrested persons and remove the barricades on the road as soon as possible.
TPT has reviewed and implemented various improvement measures so as to provide better protection to frontline officers.
(4) In order to provide greater protection for officers, TPT has procured polycarbonate sheets mounted on protective screens of marked vehicle and protective films affixed on windows of unmarked vehicles from the Headquarters Response Contingent (HQRC) and various RRCs so as to offer greater resistance against attack with sharp or hard objects being thrown at the windows of police vehicles.
(5) Magnetic sunshades have been installed on the vehicles used by HQRC and RRCs during Operation TIDERIDER. They can enhance covertness and protect privacy for persons on board those vehicles.
(6) Detachable blue lights have been provided for the unmarked police vehicles.
(7) Run-flat tyres have been installed on the Specialised Crowd Management Vehicles so as to reinforce their mobility.
(8) Tailor-made shovels have been installed on the Unimog armoured personnel carriers to remove barricades.
To ensure the operational efficiency and provide better protection for frontline officers in the long term, the following measures have been taken by TPT in vehicle and equipment procurement :
(9) A total of 406 additional vehicles including patrol vehicles, tactical buses and seven-seater vehicles under 2019 Resource Allocation Exercise – Special Bid has been approved. These vehicles have been accorded priority in the procurement list and tenders will be arranged through the EMSD and the GLD. After the delivery of these vehicles, the current arrangement of hiring private coaches for the Tier III Company will be changed as the vehicles can meet their transport and operational need.
(10) Newly designed tactical buses for the Police Tactical Unit (PTU) will replace the existing medium buses. The design of the new tactical buses has been completed and endorsed by the PTU Headquarters. The GLD will issue tender invitation in the third quarter this year.
(11) The newly procured patrol vehicles and tactical buses will use reinforced polycarbonate instead of glass material to be installed on windscreens and windows of front seats so as to provide greater protection. The new patrol vehicles will be delivered in four consignments commencing from September this year. The tender invitation for tactical buses will be issued in the third quarter this year. The new vehicles will still be provided with the protective screens for additional protection in order to reduce the frequency of replacing the reinforced polycarbonate.
(12) Various new vehicle protective measures, including installing polycarbonate sheets on the protective screens, affixing protective films on police vehicles without protective screens and providing magnetic sunshades for all vehicles, will be included as the standard items in vehicle procurement in future.
TM&T WG will continue to provide various traffic and transport support for frontline officers during Operation TIDERIDER to ensure that they are capable of coping with the challenges ahead.
