GUN shots reverberate between walls, disrupting the opening of the SEA Games at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Armed terrorists have stormed one part of the stadium while a lone militant has rammed his car through a group of people to gain access to another part of the venue.
With dozens of VIPs, athletes, and spectators in attendance, the situation looks dire. But Malaysia’s finest from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) are on hand to quell the attack and neutralise the terrorists.
Then a voice is heard over the public announcement system telling everyone to start again, and, suddenly, the terrorists’ “victims” came back to life.
This is actually a special training exercise that was recently held by the PDRM as part of its security preparations ahead of the SEA Games that Malaysia will be hosting in August.
Given the recent terror attacks in Manchester, Britain and Jakarta, such preparations are vital to ensure that the competition runs smoothly, says Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order director Comm Datuk Seri Muhammad Sabtu Osman.
“You can never be too prepared when it comes to safety and security, so we are not taking any chances.
“We want to be ready for any eventuality or untoward incidents that may occur during the course of the competition,” he tells Sunday Star in an interview earlier in the week.
He explains that all the resources of the police force will be deployed during the Games.
“We will remain vigilant, as the safety and security of all of those involved are our top priority. We will be ready to face any threat,” he emphasises.
A series of security exercises will be conducted at Bukit Jalil, the KLCC Mosque, Pulau Langkawi, and Setiu in Terengganu, among other locations; the exercises began last Thursday and will continue until July 31, about two weeks before the Games begin on Aug 19.
As such, he advises that “members of the public should not be alarmed if they see armed security personnel in public places such as the KLCC Mosque”.
Sunday Star is at the first of these exercises, held at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil last Thursday and involving several PDRM squads: VAT69, the Special Action Unit, the Bomb Disposal Unit, the General Operations Force, CID, and general duty personnel.
The scenario is anything but simple. The threat comes by car, which breaks through a police barricade and attempts to ram its way into the stadium to inflict maximum damage and casualties.
The car drives in on one of the ramps that lead directly into the stadium, knocking down several people in its path but is stopped before getting into the stadium grounds proper. The driver manages to escape but not before leaving a suspicious package on the ground next to the vehicle.
Spectators and VIPs are ushered out of the area to allow the police, deployed in an armoured personnel carrier, to assess the situation.
Following procedure – though they have to fight their instincts to rush to the aid of casualties immediately – officers call in the K-9 and bomb disposal units to inspect the package and the car involved.
A loud bang follows, a sign that the package has been secured and remotely detonated safely by the bomb disposal unit. This enables general operations force medical personnel to spring into action to see to the injured.
But the situation isn’t over. Another “explosion” occurs, causing structural damage to a part of the stadium and trapping people under rubble.
Again, those handling the scene have to ignore the instinct to help; instead, they deploy the hazardous materials unit to inspect the area for danger before allowing general operations force medics to see to the injured.
While this is going on, other personnel spot four heavily armed men in the area. Carrying heavy machine guns, the militants hold a victim hostage in one of the rooms in a building in the stadium complex.
A decision is made to call in the VAT69 commandos, who have been on standby, to storm the building.
In tight formations and with quiet efficiency, the commandos raid the building and, with precise shots, kill the militants. Once they confirm the area is secure, the operation comes to a close. The entire exercise took two hours.
Ground commander Deputy Comm Datuk Azizan Abd Aziz – who is also Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order deputy director – says the purpose of this and other exercises is to gauge the response and effectiveness of our security forces.
“We wanted to see how the OCPD of the area handled an emergency or security threat.
“The standard operating procedure in such scenarios is for the police at district level to inform the state contingent and, subsequently, Bukit Aman,” he explains.
While there is still room for improvement, DCP Azizan says the exercise went well.
“This is the time for us to make mistakes and improve upon techniques so that if a real situation occurs, we will be ready.
“We tested about five different scenarios so that our security forces will be ready for any eventuality,” he says.
For example, during the Bukit Jalil exercise, medical personnel could not get to those injured in the attack because they were in the red zone (ground zero of the incident), so seeing to them became the first responders’ responsibility. General operations force personnel then drove an ambulance into the red zone to evacuate the injured and take them to medics stationed in the amber zone, a more secure location.
Ultimately, these exercises are designed to prepare all police personnel physically as well as mentally.
“Security threats and emergencies can occur at any given moment so we must be ready to respond promptly and decisively.
“We also hope to have good coordination among all the units under the PDRM umbrella,” says DCP Azizan.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/05/28/ready-for-anything-sunday-star-is-on-the-spot-to-witness-how-our-boys-in-blue-respond-to-a-security/#uu3BFMiwiox2JkD0.99
