When the streak is not enough
Special special unit in action on a rampage
03/10/2023 11:37 am
There is a gap between normal patrol officers and special commands like the SEK – USE units are supposed to close it. The support patrol for difficult operational situations can be at the crime scene in just a few minutes during the rampage in Hamburg.
A special unit of the Hamburg police was the first to be on site in the shooting that killed eight people in a Hamburg church of Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to the police, a nearby so-called support patrol for difficult operational situations (USE) arrived at the scene after just a few minutes. The USE consists of specially trained riot police who drive around the city in emergency vehicles.
The basic idea of the USE is to close a gap between the normal patrol service and the highly specialized special commands (SEK), which first have to be mobilized. The USE form a robust reserve that is available at short notice at any time. The patrols are made up of members of the riot police’s Evidence Preservation and Arrest Unit (BFE), a unit trained for difficult operations such as violent demonstrations and searches of potentially violent offenders.
There are similar BFE units in other state police forces and in the Federal Police, they are not unique to Hamburg. What is special about the USE concept is that parts of this BFE are constantly patrolling the city. They also received special training and equipment for killing sprees and attacks, such as assault rifles and bulletproof shields.
However, the range of uses of the USE patrols that have been in use since 2021 also include far less spectacular everyday operations. For example, they are called in by their colleagues in the patrol service during fights or when searching houses for possible hidden burglars.