Malaysia's UTK (Special Action Squad) will be on full alert to guard World Leaders during ASEAN Summit.

Top guns to protect leaders at Asean Summit

BY MAZWIN NIK ANISandFARIK ZOLKEPLI

Malaysia’s finest: UTK personnel training next to the Armoured Personnel Carrier used to transport VIPs during emergencies in Bukit Sentosa, Rawang.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: If you think you can get close to world leaders attending the Asean Summit and related summits to get a photograph or a selfie, you had better think again.

These prominent individuals will be closely guarded by Malaysia’s finest – Bukit Aman’s Special Action Unit (UTK).

Personnel from the unit have been tasked to the security detail of leaders, including those from the United States, Russia, China, Japan and India, expected to be in town this week.

UTK commander Senior Asst Comm Datuk Hazani Ghazali said besides being assigned to seven “high-risk” leaders, his men would be on standby as a crisis response team.

With 300 officers and personnel on duty throughout the summits, SAC Hazani said the UTK had undergone training over the past months to hone their skills.

SAC Hazani said his unit is ready to provide sufficient security for dignitaries involved in the Asean Summit.

“We have trained our men in various aspects, including skilled driving and how to deal with terror threats. We have also trained for prompt evacuation in case of emergencies,” he said in an interview withThe Star.

After months of training, SAC Hazani said there was still some polishing to be done but overall, he was satisfied.

“Intelligence indicated that there is no imminent threat but my men will be ready for any possibility. Rest assured that they will give it their all to protect the leaders assigned to their detail.

“Their safety is our priority.”

His men, said SAC Hazani, had been on high alert.

“We will protect these leaders against any threat – foreign or domestic – by any means necessary.”

The personnel, he added, were carefully chosen from those displaying great potential such as champion marksmen to undertake high-risk missions.

“We have only the best personnel to get the job done,” he said.

During its formative years, UTK’s tactics and key influences were derived from Germany’s “Grenz­schutz­gruppe 9 der Bundespolizei” (Border Protection Group 9 of the German Federal Police), commonly known as GSG 9.

The unit was also influenced by tactics used by the Special Activities Division, a division of the US Central Intelligence Agency.