| Today it is hard to say what area is the toughest for | | | | combination of techniques from several martial arts, |
| force a police office to patrol, but in Shanghai China | | | | but it was practical in every way. The system was |
| during early years of the twentieth century things were | | | | designed to restrain or disable a subject quickly, but if |
| about as bad they could get. A handful of dedicated | | | | necessary it could become lethal. It was a martial arts |
| police officers were tasked with keeping law and | | | | style for the street brawler not a competition martial |
| order in a city where murder was so common that it | | | | artist. |
| didn't even make the front page. | | | | Another project of Fairbairn's was the Reserve Unit |
| To understand how bad the situation was in Shanghai | | | | which worked as a riot squad and the world's first |
| you have to understand the city and the times. The | | | | SWAT team. Originally setup to deal with riots the unit |
| city had been divided into three districts with the | | | | expanded to handle kidnappings, armed robberies, and |
| Chinese controlling one, and the French and the British | | | | barricaded criminals as well as terrorism. They were |
| controlling the other two. Over a million people called | | | | the first to employ body armor, chemical agents, |
| the city home and many of the native Chinese saw | | | | grenades, forcible entry tools, and automatic weapons. |
| the Europeans as the enemy. In the early years of the | | | | Anthony Sykes a firearms sales representative and |
| twentieth century things were out of control in the city. | | | | good friend of Fairbairn's would lead an attached |
| Inside the city the Chinese Green Gang, a secret | | | | sniper unit. Every member of the reserves would learn |
| society similar to the Italian mafia were involved in illegal | | | | Fairbairn's system and trained for realistic close |
| drugs, gambling, prostitution, and weapons smuggling in | | | | combat shooting situations. While all these tools are |
| the coastal city. They kept control through murder and | | | | common to a big city police department today it was |
| had no problem killing police officers, and kidnapping for | | | | all because of Fairbairn's work. |
| profit became its own industry. | | | | It isn't easy to be a police officer any where, and if you |
| The Japanese Black Dragon Society fought for their | | | | walk a beat you know how quickly things can go from |
| share of the criminal underworld, and espionage was | | | | routine to chaos. The martial arts, urban warfare, and |
| common place in the Internal National Settlement. If | | | | other techniques developed by Fairbairn and his peers |
| dealing with the hostile population in an overcrowded | | | | weren't untested theories, but battle proven methods |
| city wasn't enough the territory around the city was | | | | that worked under the worst conditions. The British |
| filled with communist guerillas and warlords. | | | | military and the United States Marines who worked |
| How do you do you survive the toughest streets in the | | | | along side the SMP would learn many valuable lessons |
| world? The answer is with the right tools and training. | | | | that would serve them well in the next war. Also it |
| Unfortunately for the Shanghai Municipal Police in the | | | | should be noted that SMP was a diverse force with |
| early 1900's nothing existed when it came to dealing | | | | many different cultures and religions, but they all |
| with this type of ruthless violence on a grand scale. | | | | learned to work together as a team to uphold law and |
| Consequently a new method of close combat needed | | | | order. |
| to be created, tested and work. The man who led the | | | | Fairbairn was responsible for many innovations that |
| charge was William E. Fairbairn. | | | | are still in use today, and have saved the lives of |
| Fairbairn was already and skilled barroom brawler and | | | | countless police officers. At the time he was just doing |
| was a hand to hand combat instructor, but after being | | | | it to help better protect his men, but his efforts would |
| badly beaten in a street fight while on patrol, the young | | | | go on to help many more. In addition to their work with |
| sergeant realized that current police training was very | | | | law enforcement Fairbairn and Sykes would share |
| inadequate. He trained in several Asian martial arts and | | | | what they knew during World War II. The would train |
| stripped away all the ritual and sport and produced a | | | | British Home Guard volunteers in the simple and effect |
| system that was simple and effective. As he climbed | | | | martial arts system, and they would train British and |
| in rank he would make many changes to the Shanghai | | | | American commandos and secret agents in the same |
| Municipal Police (SMP) that would give officers the | | | | lethal style. During his time as police officer Fairbairn |
| edge in combat. | | | | would be involved over six hundred street fights; this |
| To keep law and order in a city that never stopped | | | | will never be replicated again. This begs to question, |
| fighting the SMP which was never larger than 6,000 | | | | are these modes outdated? Maybe in some military |
| men needed every advantage they could get. After | | | | applications, where technology has reduced the need |
| studying various Chinese martial arts including and | | | | for this type of training, but when it comes to the police |
| Japanese Jujutsu and later Kodokan Judo Fairbairn | | | | officer and the civilian, it's still guns, boots, knives and |
| developed Defendu in the 1920's for self defense and | | | | clubs. |
| to help officers safely execute arrests. It was a | | | | |