OffBeat took the opportunity to visit the EOD Depot and spoke to some of the EOD Cadre Officers currently on their relicensing course.

"I really enjoy working on the EOD Cadre as a secondary duty," said Senior Inspector Murphy Chan. "The sense of comradeship, in what is a highly demanding and challenging job, is immense. The training is first-rate and the equipment we use is the best there is. It's a great feeling, when you get deployed on the ground, knowing that you have the skills and kit to render safe an explosive device safely and quickly," he added.

Woman Senior Inspector Teresa Chan, who is also on her annual relicensing course, was equally enthusiastic about her chosen secondary duty. "It is easily the best course I have done since I joined the Force," she said. "I have found the analytical training that we receive really beneficial, both when performing my main role in CID as well as when defusing a bomb. It is also an excellent feeling to be part of something that is so widely recognised as being one of the best in the world. We regularly work with EOD operators from overseas, and they always say the same thing - Hong Kong EOD is the best they have ever seen."

The Senior Bomb Disposal Officer, Dominic "Bones" Brittain is obviously proud of the standards achieved by the EOD Cadre. "I have spent many years on active bomb disposal operations," he said, "and I have never worked with officers as good as these. I watch them do jobs on the street with confidence and professionalism that is truly inspirational. Hong Kong is lucky to have them. As we look to the future, we need more of this special breed to come forward for bomb disposal duties. They do what I have always known to be, quite simply, the best job in the world."

Application forms for the EOD Cadre are available on the Force NoticeBoard.

The EOD Cadre ranks among the best in the world

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