The Special Unit of the Slovenian police held a joint exercise with the special EKO Cobra unit of the Austrian police in the area of Å entilj on 16 November 2023. The exercise involved a pursuit of armed and dangerous criminals from Austria to Slovenia.
The exercise was a successful test and coordinated performance of
- activities during the hand-over of an escorted consignment at the national border and a terrorist attack on a convoy
- the tactics of security protection of a valuable cargo and a coordinated response of both units,
- a counter terrorist response in a hostage-taking situation in a barricaded building.
Special police units from both countries also renewed the legal basis for their cross-border cooperation, checked the informing methods, the contact data and the existing forms for the NEOS communication platform, which supports the ATLAS international association of the police tactical units. They also held an exercise in performance of police procedures in both countries in a realistic situation.
Scenario of the exercise: Austrian "S.W.A.T." team follows armed robbers across the border to Å entilj, where they capture the suspects and save the hostages in cooperation with the Slovenian colleagues.
The scenario of the exercise involved an armed robbery of a cash consignment escorted by the EKO Cobra in Austria, where the perpetrators manage to escape. After locating the perpetrators, EKO Cobra follows the suspects. The armed and dangerous suspects flee to Slovenia (the area of Å entilj) and find refuge in a building next to a road. In order to catch them, the EKO Cobra officers follow the suspects, who take hostages while barricading themselves into a building. The officers of the Special Unit of the Slovenian are informed on the situation and gather accordingly. They enter the building by force and successfully solve the hostage situation.
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