A Taipei-based military police motorcycle platoon yesterday assumed a new mission when it became operational as a rapid reaction force for the Taipei garrison zone, tasked with defending the capital against attacks by enemy air assault, parachute, special operations and conventional forces.
Known as the 202nd Military Police Command’s Services and Guards Platoon before its transformation, the Quick Reaction Company — also known as the “motorcycle platoon” — was selected to bolster the Taipei garrison zone’s defense, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The company was last week formally established in a ceremony at the 202nd Military Police Command Headquarters in Taipei. The company commander is a female officer surnamed Chang (張).
Photo courtesy of Military Police Command
The motorcycle-equipped platoon’s high mobility was a major factor in its selection for the task, the official said.
The military police establishing the Quick Reaction Company might be a response to Chinese military drills simulating invasions of the nation’s capital, which have become frequent over the past few years.
Some of the exercises were reported to have simulated attacks by saboteurs and special operations units on recreations of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei and other buildings in the city’s government district.
The company is to be equipped with CM-32 armored infantry vehicles and other specialist gear, in addition to its motorcycles, to combat opposing paratroopers, helicopter-borne forces and special operations units, the official said.
It is to receive improved communications gear and has been given high priority in new soldier allocation to speed up its reorganization into a company, the official said.
The Military Police Command said mobility is key to countering threats against the capital and the company could utilize their motorcycles’ speed and their rapid engagement capabilities to control the city’s strategic positions and major roads.
The military police’s motorcycle unit has been reorganized several times since its creation, the command said.
The Service and Guards Platoon, the company’s previous iteration, was tasked with administrative, maintenance and transportation missions, in addition to acting as ceremonial guard at major state functions, the command said.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS