Elite troops on motorbikes, police dogs for public order among additions since riot

Riot police on motorbikes, police dogs trained to intimidate, and pepper spray that stings the eyes these are what rioters will face when the Special Operations Command (SOC) moves in.

- David Sun, Christine Tan

In the past decade since the Little India riot on Dec 8, 2013, the SOC the police's elite force - has raised its capabilities.

The Sunday Times got an exclusive look at the methods that the SOC uses to respond to public order and security incidents.

The Committee of Inquiry (COI) convened to probe the Little India riot, the worst public order incident in Singapore since the racial riots in the 1960s, found several lapses by the police. These included communication gaps, a poor decision to hold their positions and making arrests too late.

Vehicles carrying SOC officers were also bogged down by heavy traffic. This allowed rioters to burn and overturn unoccupied emergency vehicles, including police cars.

In total, 62 people, including 37 police officers and 12 Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers, were injured.

As a result of the riot, the SOC now has Rapid Deployment Troops (RDTs) who can ride to incident sites quickly on motorbikes.

Started in 2017 as part of the SOC's Police Tactical Unit, these troops can ride their bikes over road kerbs and go off-road.

They can also go up steps and weave through heavy traffic which officers executed smoothly during demonstrations at the Home Team Tactical Centre in Mandai and a busy junction in Orchard Road on Nov 14.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mohamad Junaidi Rabian, officer commanding in one of the RDT teams, said: "With more targeted different training terrains, RDT trainings are specialised to respond swiftly to both public order and public security incidents." The black BMW motorbikes, known as Tactical Response Motorcycles, have blinker lights, sirens and a special latch that carries two riot shields.