The Elite Police ( ur, ایلیٹ کمانڈو فورس), also known as the "Elite Force" or "Police Commandos", is a branch of the Punjab Police specializing in Counter-Terrorist operations and VIP security duties, as well as acting against serious crime and performing high-risk operations which can't be carried out by the regular police. It was formed in 1998 as a counterterrorism unit, but over time its duties expanded to VIP escort.

History

The Elite Force was created on the order of the then Punjab Chief Minister

Shahbaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president of ...

in 1997–1998. In 2004, more funds were allocated for its expansion, and 5000 new personnel were inducted. New checkpoints for curbing street crime were created across Punjab and manned by the Elite Force. Their work drew attention in the wake of the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

. The Elite Police were also extensively involved in neutralizing enemy combatants who had laid siege to the

Manawan Police Training School At 07:31 on 30 March 2009, the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore, Pakistan, was attacked by an estimated 12 gunmen. The perpetrators were armed with automatic weapons and grenades or rockets and some were dressed as policemen. They took over the ...

during the

2009 Lahore police academy attacks At 07:31 on 30 March 2009, the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore, Pakistan, was attacked by an estimated 12 gunmen. The perpetrators were armed with automatic weapons and grenades or rockets and some were dressed as policemen. They took over t ...

Mumtaz Qadri Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri (1985 – 29 February 2016), better known as Mumtaz Qadri (, ur, ), was the assassin of Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab. Qadri was a commando of the Elite Police and, at the time of the assassination, a member ...

, the bodyguard who shot and killed Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer in Islamabad on January 4, 2011 was a member of the Elite Police. On August 12, 2017 a twelve year old boy was crushed to death by Elite Force Vehicle accompanying Mr.

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...

(ex-prime minister). None of the vehicles including rescue vehicles or the vehicle responsible stopped or took the boy to the hospital. Family of the victim was also pressurized later to omit vehicle registration number from first information report to police.

Organization

The Elite Police Force is headed by the Additional Inspector-General of Police, Elite Police Force, Punjab, Lahore. Currently, Kunwar Shahrukh, Additional Inspector-General of Police is leading Elite Police Police Force in Punjab. During operations, they are headed by an officer trained in a "Basic Elite" course. The Elite Force is used in a range of special operations including "high-risk searches, raids and rescue operations". Members of the Elite Force are trained for six months at the Elite Police Training School (EPTS) at Badian, Lahore, by Pakistan's Special police trainers in personal combat,

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...

crowd control Crowd control is a public security practice in which large crowds are managed in order to prevent the outbreak of crowd crushes, affray, fights involving drunk and disorderly people or riots. Crowd crushes in particular can cause many hundre ...

, close quarters battle (CQB), and

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

. They are trained in the use of a range of weapons, including the

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...

Glock Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was ...

Pistol, MP5, and

grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ge ...

s. They can use different kind of weapons like Pakistan-made G3, machine-guns etc. Their arsenal also included

flak jacket The two components of an obsolete British military flak vest. On the left, the nylon vest. On the right, the several layers of ballistic nylon that provide the actual protection A flak jacket or flak vest is a form of body armor. A flak jacke ...

s. They are trained in martial arts and boxing practice during training period. They are often seen in black and green

track suit A tracksuit is an article of clothing consisting of two parts: trousers and a jacket usually with front zipper. It was originally intended for use in sports, mainly for athletes to wear over competition clothing (such as running shirt and shorts ...

Equipment

* Glock series Pistol * Beretta 92FS Pistol *

Heckler & Koch MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...

SMG *

M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensive ...

Assault Rifle *

HK G3 The Heckler & Koch G3 (''Gewehr'' 3) is a 7.62×51mm NATO, select-fire battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K) in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CE ...

Assault Rifle *

Type 56 The Type 56 (; literally; "Assault Rifle, Model of 1956") is a Chinese 7.62×39mm rifle. It is a variant of the Soviet-designed AK-47 (specifically Type 3) and AKM rifles.Miller, David (2001). ''The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns' ...

Assault Rifle * POF PSR-90 Sniper Rifle * MG3 Machine Gun * POF Eye * Shotguns * Hand Grenades * Smoke Grenades * Binoculars * Night vision goggles And other protective gears.

Head of Organization

Additional Inspector General of Police is the head of Elite Police, Punjab. Hereunder, is the list of Addl: IGPs who have headed this unit.

References

External links