Anti-terrorism vans for cops

R25m tender to customise 10 hi-tech police vehicles

THE South African Police Service is getting hi-tech counter-terrorism response vans fitted with the latest chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear detection devices. The company that wins the tender will customise and convert 10 panel vans to create multifunctional response vehicles capable of dealing with potential terrorist threats.

The tender went out last month and closed last Wednesday.

It will cost about R25-million to buy and modify the vans.

While police were reluctant to say why they were buying the vehicles, experts said the vehicles had several functions, including counter-terrorism, and the move was a precautionary one.

The vehicles will be equipped with hazmat suits, radiation detectors, fire extinguishers, breathing apparatuses, a generator and emergency decontamination tanks.

They will also be fitted with drawers, a table, hanging rack, small fridge, decontamination chemicals, ladders, spotlights and a public announcement system.

One of their primary functions is to respond to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents across the country.

The tender documents state that police will supply the bulk of the specialist equipment as well as the 10 Nissan NV350 panel vans to the successful bidder.

According to bid documents, five companies have applied for the tender to convert the vans.

The vehicles, which will be allocated to the explosive unit, formerly known as the bomb unit, will also be used to assist the criminal record and crime scene management division and forensic services.

The tender gives a series of specifications on how to customise the vans, including the interior being divided, with a laboratory in the front and a decontamination area in the back.

In 2010, before the Soccer World Cup, police and defence force officials participated in a United States-run three-week training programme designed to enhance their ability to respond to incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives.

Over the years, the US has also donated two rapid response trailers. One was donated in 2004 and another just before of the 2010 World Cup.

National police commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane’s office failed to respond to questions about the purchase of the vehicles.

The military also has CBRN teams which are deployed when needed.

Between 2008 and 2011 the SA Military Health Service purchased R33-million worth of chemical, biological and radiation protection gear – some of which is exactly the same as that planned for the police vehicles.

According to experts, the military focus, however, is mostly on providing mass decontamination measures should an incident occur.

Some of the equipment in the police vans will be linked to a hazmat database containing information about chemical, biological and radiological compounds and recommended procedures for handling them.

Institute of Security Studies transnational threats and international crime division expert Willem Els, a former police explosives unit technician and trainer, said terrorist attacks within South Africa were a possibility for which the police and military had to be prepared.

“It can happen and there is a very real threat despite what others might think,” he said. “It is vital that they have the right gear and equipment to respond to attacks or crime scenes.

“These vehicles are long overdue and will not solely be used for terrorist weapons of mass destruction.

“They have several functions, of which one will be counter-terrorism.”

Els, who left on Tuesday to teach West African police top brass counter-terrorism tactics, said in South Africa at least 300 “missing” radioactive material devices had simply vanished over the years.

“This was the last count when I checked,” he said.

“The fact is that these missing radioactive sources could surface anywhere or could even be used in terrorism.”

Els said it was likely that at least one hi-tech vehicle would be based in each province, with another at the police headquarters training centre.

“There is no doubt that the threat [of terrorism] is real and is highly possible within South Africa,” he said.

“It just makes sense that, should this happen, we have the gear to combat it,” he said.