Snow Leopard Commando Unit

The Snow Leopard Commando Unit (Abbreviation: SLCU; Simplified Chinese: 雪豹突击队) is a special police unit of the People's Republic of China under the People's Armed Police, tasked with counter-terrorism, riot control, and other such special tasks as anti-hijacking and bomb disposal. The SLCU and Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau's Beijing SWAT unit were tasked with many of the 2008 Summer Olympics' security responsibilities. Officially, the SLCU is known as the 3rd Group, 13th Detachment, People's Armed Police Beijing General Corp.

The former Snow Wolf name was bestowed on the unit because of arctic wolves's tenacity and ability to thrive in extremely harsh conditions.

History
After secret establishment in October 2002, the SWCU unit secretly trained for five years. The SWCU and the Beijing SWAT unit were unveiled in a demonstration at the Beijing Police Academy on April 27, 2006 in a public relations effort to illustrate the People's Armed Police's capacity for countering terrorism, protecting delegates, and enforcing law and order in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The SLCU had participated in anti-terrorist exercises with Russia on September 4, 2007 known as "Cooperation-2007." SLCU operators had been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq to protect Chinese diplomatic personnel.

The unit's name changed to Snow Leopard Commando Unit. According to Qu Liangfeng, a senior PAP officer in charge of the daily operations of SLCU, he said the name change was "inspired by the story of a brave and cunning snow leopard, which escaped an ambush by a hunter and his eight hunting dogs."

Training and selection
Only officers who have served in the People's Armed Police for a period of 1 to 2 years are eligible to apply, whereafter they will be put through interviews and physical and psychological tests. The current average age (as of 2006) of SLCU officers is 22 years because most entered the unit when about 18, thereby among the youngest in the counter-terrorists.

Selected officers undergo arduous physical and weapons training, along with driving lessons for various vehicles. Their physical training includes 200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 100 squats, lifting barbells 200 times and carrying a 35 kg load for a 10 km cross-country run. They are then assigned to the Beijing General Corps' 13th Detachment, where the SLCU is based.

Organisation
The SLCU consists of four squadrons assigned with very specific responsibilities:

Weapons and equipment
The SLCU was shown in the demonstrations armed with the QBZ-95 series of rifles and QSZ-92 pistols, and they will most likely also carry widely various submachine guns and other firearms. The unit has spent about CNY 2 million (approximately US$ 258,000) in domestically manufactured armored personnel carriers for riot-control and has also imported CNY 4 million worth of American-manufactured vehicles and equipment. Each SLCU operator is estimated to be outfitted with CNY 300,000 (approximately US$ 39,000) worth of equipment.

Uniform
In the standard uniform layout the arm patch is sewn on the right arm, with the unit badge above the right breast pocket. The words "SPECIAL POLICE GRP" (Special Police Group) are embroidered on the right side of the tactical vest or body armor, diverging from all the other P.R.C. uniformed units, whose uniforms' left sides are embroidered with badges and patches.