The Public Order and Riot Squad (PORS) is the full-time
riot squad
Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is spontaneous and irrati ...
of the
New South Wales Police Force
The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...
. PORS reports via the Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command to the Deputy Commissioner Investigations and Counter Terrorism.
History
The Public Order and Riot Squad (PORS) is a full-time riot squad created in October 2005 becoming operational in January 2006. within the Major Events and Incidents Group Command. PORS was created as a result of Parliamentary reports into the response and handling of
riots in Redfern (February 2004) and Macquarie Fields (February 2005) where command and control and resources were criticized and found to be lacking/uncoordinated. PORS is essentially the re-creation of the defunct
Tactical Response Group Tactical Response Group may refer to:
* Tactical Response Group (Western Australia)
* State Protection Group, police tactical group in NSW, Australia
{{Disambiguation ...
of the 1980s except for some differences in charter and organisation. They are supplemented by statewide-based part-time
Operations Support Group units.
In 2009 the squad was featured in an episode of ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style of ...
'' titled "Brute Force" showing officers in action across
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
.
In 2017, 47 officers underwent specialist rifle training to become accredited to carry the
M4 Carbine
The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle.
The M4 is extensively ...
assault rifle.
[NSW Police get Colt M4 - CONTACT magazine](_blank)
/ref>
In 2020 and 2021, there were criticisms that officers from the unit were using excessive force while policing protests.
Equipment
PORS are issued with a wide variety of specialised crowd control and riot equipment including Taser
A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended to ...
weapons and fully equipped black vans and black 4WDs to allow rapid deployment across the State at a moments notice. The vans allow a team in full tactical/riot gear to deploy on the move and access equipment as needed quickly, without need to return to a station to access gear as the part-time Public Order and Operations Support Group (OSG) officers do.
PORS had an Australian first, a $600,000 purpose built water cannon truck which was fitted with an airtight cabin to protect police from smoke, gas and other irritants. It also had shatterproof "anti-bandit glass" reinforced with wire mesh, and a heavy push bar allowing it to clear barricades and other obstacles. The high pressure 12,000 litre water cannon is able to shoot a stream of water more than 50 metres. The water cannon having never been "used in anger" was stripped of its police equipment and gifted to Fire and Rescue NSW
Fire and Rescue New South Wales (previously known as New South Wales Fire Brigades), an agency of the Government of New South Wales, Australia, is responsible for firefighting, rescue and HazMat services in the major cities, metropolitan areas ...
as a bulk water tanker in 2019.
Each officer is equipped with more than $8500 in gear including flame retardant overalls, ballistic vests, ballistic goggles, arm and leg guards, capsicum spray, an Asp baton
Armament Systems and Procedures, Inc. (ASP, Inc.) is a US defensive compliance weapons manufacturer providing equipment to law enforcement and private security companies. ASP telescoping batons are widely used.
History
* 1976—company founded ...
, long baton, utility knife, handcuffs
Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...
and cable tie flex-cuffs and also rubber bullets
Rubber bullets (also called rubber baton rounds) are a type of baton round. Despite the name, rubber bullets typically have either a metal core with a rubber coating, or are a homogeneous admixture with rubber being a minority component. Altho ...
which are stored in station and their cars. In June 2017, it was announced that officers in the unit would be armed with semi-automatic rifles. As of 2017 officers are equipped with the M4 carbine.
Roles
The Public Order and Riot Squad specialise in:
*riot control/response
*search warrants
*searches for missing persons
*crowd control
*IED search
*response to major chemical biological and radiological (CBR) incidents and
*assisting general duties Police whenever a rapid co-ordinated response is needed at incidents such as brawls or street parties.
PORS role also includes attending major public protests and demonstrations, assisting with searches for evidence, people, property and drugs and canvassing witnesses during large-scale investigations. The unit also clears cells, transfers inmates and performs other security duties during industrial disputes at the State's prisons.
PORS also provide core officers for Operation Vikings. Operation Vikings was designed to provide a highly visible police presence across New South Wales. Large numbers of Police are deployed to these operations, targeting antisocial behaviour, alcohol-related crime, street level drug possession and traffic offences in known trouble (or "hot") spots.
The PORS often deploy large numbers of vehicles and officers to A-League
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
football matches held in New South Wales.
See also
*New South Wales Police Force
The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...
* Operations Support Group
*State Protection Group
The State Protection Group (SPG) is part of the Counter Terrorism & Special Tactics Command of the New South Wales Police Force and was established in 1991 to deal with extraordinary policing responses. The SPG directly supports police in high- ...
*Public Order Response Team
The Public Order Response Team (PORT) is the full-time riot unit of the Victoria Police. PORT was formed in June 2011 and was originally part of the Operations Response Unit (ORU). The core function of PORT is to respond to demonstrations and p ...
(Victoria)
*Riot control
Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is spontaneous and irration ...
*Riot police
Riot police are police who are organized, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots.
Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organize ...
*Riot shield
A riot shield is a lightweight protection device, typically deployed by police and some military organizations, though also utilized by protestors. Riot shields are typically long enough to cover an average-sized person from the top of the head to ...
References
External links
NSW Police website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Order And Riot Squad
Police units of Australia
New South Wales Police Force
2005 establishments in Australia