Origins & History
STAR started off in the late 1970s as a part-time outfit called the Police Tactical Team (PTT), and was mainly used to contain civil disorder. During the early days, the Police Tactical Team was a motley crew of volunteer officers from the Police Task Force (PTF), who served even on their days off for a monthly allowance of $50.
The PTT, although drawing expertise from the PTF, were still limited in their operational readiness, skills and capability. Resulting from the need to provide the Singapore Police Force with a dedicated armed response team, with expertise assistance of Hong Kong Police Force's Special Duties Unit, the PTT was re-formed into STAR under the Special Operations Command in 1 November 1993.
The unit is known for resolving cases assigned to them without being engaged in gunfights in Singapore.
Read more about this topic: Special Tactics And Rescue (Singapore)
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