SEF’s ­— ­50-year track record to boot

JEDDAH: The Special Emergency Forces (SEF) has been performing its role in maintaining order, especially during the annual Haj and fighting terrorism, since its establishment 50 years ago.
On Thursday, 12 SEF members were among 15 killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque in Asir.
The SEF despite the sensitivity of its tasks has been able to maintain security and fight all kinds of terrorism that threaten public safety. Its employees enjoy acceptance among Saudis and visitors of the Grand Mosque because of its humanitarian work.
The SEF is used for dispersing demonstrations and rescue hostages, and deal with sit-in resistance.
The SEF, which is part of the Ministry of Interior, is entrusted with special security tasks.
This team started as a reserve police force with high technical training, and is entrusted with many tasks, the important of which is to protect Saudi embassies outside the Kingdom, in addition to its role within the Kingdom.
This force is affiliated to the explosives unit, which uncovers explosives and disarms them at all locations, and especially at embassies, palaces and governorates. It is affiliated to the personalities’ unit, which is assigned protection of governors and officials of the Ministry of Interior. The quick intervention unit is part of these forces, and has only prominent officers.
The SEF was established in 1972 to support the police in dealing with drug trafficking but started dealing with anti-terror missions in 1990s.
Now, there are 13 centers of counter-terrorism affiliated to the SEF across the Kingdom.