Hong Kong Customs and the Fire Services Department (FSD) co-organised a counter-terrorism intelligence and hazardous material incident exercise codenamed "DEFENDER" yesterday afternoon (May 23) at the Customs Inbound Private Car Examination Building of the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point.
About 100 officers from the FSD, Customs and the Hong Kong Police Force participated in the exercise. The exercise simulated the identification of a cross-boundary private car driver suspected to be related to terrorist activities, as well as the discovery of suspected hazardous material inside the car during Customs clearance at the Inbound Private Car Examination Building. Customs officers swiftly activated the contingency response plan to prevent leakage of the hazardous material, and immediately summoned the FSD and informed the Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit of the suspected terrorism-related clues for follow-up action. FSD officers sped to the scene upon being summoned, and the Hazardous Materials Team was deployed to handle the hazardous material and carry out decontamination procedures.
The exercise has raised the capability to handle counter-terrorism intelligence and hazardous material incidents of the frontline officers of Customs and the FSD. It has also enhanced the co-ordination and communication between the two departments in case of emergency.
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