Encourage him, help him along." The two lines coalesce into a huddle, sweeping up Yellow Five and pushing him along, shouting encouragement.īy week's end they haveclimbed hills, marched and been shaken awake to batter each other in a late-night milling session. "Come on men, are you a team?" says an instructor. Their faces are hidden behind helmets, goggles and balaclavas to protect them from occupational hazards such as glass, fire and chemicals - and to obscure their identities.īut they don't give up on this one. They dress in distinctive black uniforms - tactical overalls, bullet-proof vests, gloves and military boots. They arrive at jobs in dark four wheel drives, windows tinted, carrying the latest high-powered weaponry. They are experts in explosives, ordnance and overt and covert reconnaissance. The Sons of God, who prefer to be known as the peacemakers, are the force's most highly trained and disciplined tacticians. They also know that those who kill pay a price, living with the consequences and the memories. SOG members know they can be put in harm's way at any time and are trained to react in such situations, up to and including lethal force. So, in 1995, it was banned - officially at least, though more than a few recalcitrants still have T-shirts and caps bearing the motif.īut killing has always been a last resort. It was a chilling image and one that, belatedly, police command decided it did not want: the apparent promotion of the use of fatal force. For most of its 28 years, the squad's emblem was telescopic crosshairs superimposed over a balaclava-clad head.
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