Politiets Aktionsstyrke

Last updated
Special Intervention Unit
Politiets Aktionsstyrke (Danish)
Patch of Politiets Aktionsstyrke.svg
Patch worn by Politiets Aktionsstyrke
Active1973 - present [1]
CountryFlag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
Agency National Police
Type Police tactical unit
Role
AbbreviationAKS
Structure
Operators100

The Politiets Aktionsstyrke (AKS, English: Special Intervention Unit) is the police tactical unit of the Danish National Police.

Contents

History

The unit's operational functions are closely guarded secrets, so not much is known. What has been published is that the unit was created just after the Munich Summer Olympic incident in 1972.

In 1998, the unit was re-organized to include a permanent force of roughly 100 police officers; it previously "borrowed" officers from regular units on an as needed basis.

AKS led the operation of clearing and evicting the anarchist and leftist groups from Ungdomshuset on March 1, 2007.

An officer from AKS was seriously wounded on January 7, 2013, during an arrest operation against three suspected narcotics smugglers. The suspected perpetrator was killed by a headshot and another man was wounded. A third man was arrested. [2] It was the first time that an AKS-officer had been wounded during an operation. [3]

Organization

Training

Their training includes: tactical shooting, hand-to-hand combat, surveillance, and explosives.

Policemen who want to join the unit are required to take and pass selection tests. It is known that AKS cross-trains with the army and navy elite-units Jægerkorpset and Frømandskorpset. [4]

Duties

It is meant to handle extraordinarily difficult or life-threatening criminal situations, such as terrorism, hostage situations, and kidnapping. It also deals with emergency rescue situations that would be too dangerous for others to handle.

The AKS holds responsibility for all anti-terror and counter-terrorism missions in Denmark. Its activities are under the jurisdiction of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) while the Danish Ministry of Justice supervises the AKS. [4]

Equipment

ModelTypeOrigin
Heckler & Koch USP Compact Semi-automatic pistol Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Heckler & Koch MP5 Submachine gun
Colt Canada C8 Assault rifle Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Heckler & Koch G36C Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
SIG MCX Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Sako TRG Sniper rifle Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Lenco BearCat [5] Vehicle Flag of the United States.svg  United States

References

  1. ↑ "Aktionsstyrken". Danish National Police. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "PET-betjent ramt af to skud i narkodrama". TV2 Nyhederne (in Danish). 2 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "Niels Brinch: Sådan er Aktionsstyrken". TV2 Nyhederne (in Danish). 7 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Politiets Aktionsstyrke (AKS): Prime special unit of Denmark's police". 23 September 2012.
  5. ↑ Søgaard, Af Jan (2022-09-30). "Anholdt af Aktionsstyrken: Tiltalt for uhyrligheder mod sin kæreste". ekstrabladet.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-06-15.


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