Camouflaging themselves and hiding into the surroundings to watch and capture criminals are among the important training lessons at the National Training Center for Counter-terrorism in Quang Ninh province.
Head of the Center’s Faculty of Military Tactics and General Operations Major Hoang Dinh Cong said, camouflage to hide in the wild requires a lot of effort and hard work. Policemen sometimes have to cover up and stay still in bushes for hours.
“We often tell joke to each other that once we are on duty, we should stay still and avoid any movements and emotion in any circumstances, including being beaten by insects or even seeing a beautiful girl passing by”, Cong said.
As the exercise began, 5 suspects carrying prohibited goods were crossing a wild forest. Little did they know that the policemen, who were hiding in the bushes, were attentively watching them. “Attack!”, the commander suddenly shouted, the camouflaged policemen rushed out from various directions, surrounded and neutralized the criminals.
Most of the police soldiers trained at the Center are at their 20s while the training process requires much effort and physical strength, said Cong. As a result, the trainers focus on physical training from the early days. All trainees are supposed to keep up with the training pace and meet the training requirements.
“Some of the soldiers lost 9-10 kg when they started training, but at the time they get used to the training, they will be physically stronger and muscular”, Cong added.
Nguyen Le Trung, a young police soldier from Hung Yen, said, he is proud of being one of the first students of the counter-terrorism training course at the Center. The 20-year-old trainee said he is impressed by the image of camouflaged soldiers when he was younger and he knew that the duty required a lot of physical strength and patience.
Covering with mud and hiding in the bush, Nguyen Phi Hung, 20, from Ha Noi, said he had been in the position for hours. Despite the cold weather in December and lying under dry leaves, the young soldier did not generate any sound. Hung said that he was stung by insects for many times or saw snakes moving nearby when he practiced camouflaging. “I was scared at first, but then I got used to it. I decide what my teammates can do, I must be able to do”, Hung said.
When being asked about his feelings as Tet was coming, Tran Manh Luan, 20, from Ha Nam, emotionally said, he would like to wish health and happiness to his parents at home. It seemed as if Luan had had to hold back his emotion when talking about his family. Before returning to the barracks, the young soldiers asked reporters about the broadcast time of the reportage so that he could inform his parents of it.
Most of the soldiers in the training course were 19-20 years old who had just left high school. Living away from their families, they had to adapt to new living and working conditions. So trainers and managers at the Center often encourage the young soldiers to overcome their difficulties and complete all training contents.
The National Training Center for Counter-terrorism under the Mobile Police Command was established in February 2022, under a decision by the Public Security Central Party Committee, which is seen as part of the master plan to modernize the Public Security Forces, said Vice Mobile Police Commander Major General Nguyen Ngoc Thanh. The Center is located in a mountainous area of Quang Yen town, Quang Ninh province.
The Center is responsible for counter-terrorism training as well as ready to deploy forces to respond to terrorist threats, sabotage acts, armed riots, and dangerous criminals. The Center also engages in rescue operations and performs other tasks according to programs and plans approved by leaders of competent levels.
According to the Center’s deputy director, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Trong Quang, it is running two training courses. The first aims to train officers for the center’s staff while the second one is for young policemen who are excellent at martial arts and shooting. They have been selected from special forces across the country to participate in the special task force challenge program to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in early 2023. The course currently has 60 trainees and only the best of the best will be chosen to compete in the games in UAE.
