The Emergency Unit of New Territories South (EU NTS) staged an exercise, codenamed WESTWOOD, on December 9 with an aim to boosting the capabilities and co-ordination of various NTS units in dealing with serious crime.

Under the planning of NTS Senior Superintendent (Operations) Ian Clark and Superintendent of EU NTS Choy Wai-sum, the exercise simulated an armed robbery with the culprits fleeing the scene in a vehicle. Thus, the Regional Command and Control Centre of the New Territories activated Operation EXIGENT. EU NTS, together with Traffic NTS and patrol officers in the related divisions, swiftly tracked the culprits' escape route, set up a number of observation points, and eventually arrested the culprits in Tsing Yi.

The exercise tested the abilities of over 100 officers in assessing an emergency incident, manpower deployment and internal communication, and consolidated their competence in dealing with serious crime.