The Rapid Police Unit (), formally Separate Rapid Police Unit (''Əlahiddə Çevik Polis Alayı''), is the tier two police tactical unit within the
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan Republic that specialized in quick response to emergencies with SWAT unit tactics. The unit is headquartered in
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, at 69 Nobel Avenue. As of 2019, the unit commander is Sahlab Bagirov, who succeeded Zaur Abdullayev in that capacity.
Until 2006 the Rapid Police Unit was within the purview of the Baku Police Department. On 31 July 2006 the unit was incorporated into the Ministry of Internal Affairs, becoming able to operate on a country level. Since 30 September 2017 the unit also employs women. The Rapid Police Unit was used to disperse the
2019 Baku protests, among others.
References
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See also
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Special Purpose Police Unit
The Special Purpose Police Unit ( (XTPD); , ''OMON'') or OPON () was a police tactical detachment unit within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan Republic in the early 1990s formed during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. The first body ...
Police of Azerbaijan
Police tactical units