| Unit Name: | National Intervention Unit |
| Dates: | 2000 – present |
| Country: |  South Africa |
| Agency: | South African Police Service |
| Type: | Police tactical unit |
| Role: | Air assault Bomb disposal CBRN defense Close-quarters combat Counterinsurgency Counterterrorism Crowd control Desert warfare Direct action Executive protection Force protection Hostage rescue Jungle warfare Law enforcement Manhunt Mountain warfare Patrolling Raiding Reconnaissance Special operations Special reconnaissance Tactical emergency medical services Tracking Urban warfare |
| Command Structure: | Division Operational Response Services |
| Abbreviation: | NIU |
| Sworn Type Label: | Officers |
| Sworn: | Approx. 280-330 |
| Stations: | |
| Notable Commanders: | Brigadier ME Tsiloane |
| Programmes: | --> |
The National Intervention Unit (NIU) is a tier-two police tactical unit, part of the special operations element of the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The National Intervention Unit is one of the SAPS's elite units. It was established in 2000 to address high-risk operations and assist the Special Task Force as it was faced with an increased workload and limited resources. The NIU provides operational support for the Special Task Force with control and protect criminals while carrying out legal procedures, counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, crowd control, hostage rescue, operating in different terrain, protect important locations that are at high-risk of an attack, search and arrest high-risk criminals, special operations, tracking targets, urban warfare and VIP protection.
To stabilise volatile situations by combating serious and violent crimes, the policing of high-risk public violence, rendering specialised operational support to provinces/units/divisions of South Africa.
The NIU render a specialised operational support function focused on planned, intelligence-driven and targeted deployments to address specific incidents of crime and public violence, and not day-to-day crowd management operations.[1]
In situations where other South African Police Service units, sections, or stations are not trained and equipped to deal with dangerous situations, the Intervention Units will take over, contain and conduct follow-up operations of incidents of serious violent crimes such as, but not limited to:
The rendering of specialized operational support:
Divisional Instruction: Establishing and Functioning of National Intervention Units, 20 FeNational Read more: https://briefly.co.za/south-africa/169430-2-people-killed-zimbali-police-sting-operation-linked-richards-bay/bruary 2010.
The National Intervention Unit can trace its origins to the Reaction Units which were established in the Riot Units in 1979. In 2000, the Division: Operational Response Services decided to standardize training and techniques for these units and formed the National High Risk Policing Capability. Four units were strategically placed at Pretoria, Durban, Mthatha and Cape Town.
These units participate in intelligence-driven operations to combat crime in the service areas of police stations and are responsible for stabilizing tense situations when normal policing is insufficient, such as intervening at incidents of public violence when Public Order Policing (POP) Units can no longer handle the situation.
Their work also includes the combating of serious and violent crime incidents such as cash-in-transit heists, ATM bombings,[3] armed robberies and urban terrorism.[4]
Prospective members have to be at least 21 years old and must have served at least two years in the South African Police Service. The volunteer must also show certain traits such as:
Applicants for a career in the NIU must be:
Prospective candidates who volunteer must undergo and successfully complete a pre-selection programme which includes psychometric evaluations before they will progress to an individual endurance programme.
The 69-hour individual endurance programme assesses the individual's attributes which includes:
Prospective members applying to join NIU Units must follow the appropriate career paths starting at the Public Order Policing Unit, and then proceed to the Tactical Response Unit before they can join the National Intervention Unit. Members who wish to grow their careers further may then join the South African Police Service Special Task Force (SAPS STF).[5]
All National Intervention applicants are volunteers and have to comply with stringent physical requirements before being admitted to the basic training and selection course. The volunteer must also show certain personal traits such as maturity, leadership skills, and sound judgment.
The basic training course includes weapons, rural and urban combat training courses. Compulsory advanced courses include special skills such as diving, VIP protection, explosives and medical training.
Although membership of the National Intervention Unit is open to both male and female SAPS members, female operatives undergo a separate selection course.
The National Intervention Unit is actively involved in anti-rhino poaching operations in South Africa,[6] stabilizing industrial and mining unrest [7] as well as intervening in situations involving political violence.[8]
The National Intervention Unit, as a part of the operational response services division - along with Public Order Policing units, the Special Task force, the Tactical Response Teams and the air-wing - were a central part of the police strategy that resulted in the Marikana Massacre.[9] Their operational commander at Marikana, Lieutenant Colonel Kaizer Modiba, testified before the Farlam Commission of inquiry into the massacre in which he was shown to have ordered his officers to immediately sweep the nearby hill for more weapons rather than seeing to the injuries of the miners who had just been shot. This was "criticised because most NIU members had level-three first aid qualifications as part of their NIU training... According to the police service's official crime scene policy, the first member at the crime scene “with due consideration of the integrity of physical evidence, must assist the injured within the limitation of his or her training as a matter of priority”."[10] When questioned, Modiba could not recall that he had read the police's crime scene policy.[11] [12]
The National Intervention Unit, as a part of the Formed Police Unit / African Standby Force (ASF) for SADC (Southern African Development Community) is conducting operations in Lesotho attempting to restore peace, stability and democracy.[13]
| Name | Photo | Type | Origin | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beretta Px4 Storm | Semi-Automatic Pistol | The Beretta Px4 Storm Type F model is used. | |||
| Heckler & Koch UMP | Submachine gun | The UMP9 model is used with Optical Sights, Tactical Light & Laser sights | |||
| R5 Assault Rifle | Assault Rifle | Standard Assault Rifle of the South African Police and the post-1994 South African Police Service. NIU uses various optical sights. | |||
| R1 Assault Rifle | Assault Rifle | / | An automatic, folding stock R1 Assault rifle. | ||
| Republican Arms Musler 12 gauge shotgun | Shotgun | ||||
| Stun Grenade | Stun grenade | ||||
| Smoke Grenade | Smoke grenade |