SEK (Germany)
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Spezialeinsatzkommando (SEK, "Special Task Force") are police tactical units of each of the 16 German State Police forces. Along with the Mobiles Einsatzkommando (MEK), Personenschutzkommando[1] (bodyguards), and the Verhandlungsgruppe (negotiation teams in some states), they are part of the police Spezialeinheiten of each state.[2]
| Spezialeinsatzkommando | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1974–present |
| Country |  Germany |
| Agency | Landespolizei (State police (English)) |
| Type | Police tactical unit |
| Role | Counter-terrorism Law enforcement |
| Abbreviation | SEK |
Mainly unrecognized by the media and public, the main missions of SEK units are to serve high-risk arrest warrants and to deal with barricaded suspects. Hostage sieges, kidnappings, and raids also belong to their missions as well as other scenarios like personal security details for VIPs or witnesses. Since the 1970s, each SEK has handled several thousand deployments. The front-runner is the SEK of the Berlin Police with up to 500 deployments a year, an average of 1.4 deployments a day.
The comparable unit of the German Federal Police is the GSG 9.