Until July 2012 the Specialist Response and Security Team (SRS) was a
Police Tactical Group of the
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. Th ...
(AFP) having responsibility for tactical and specialist operations within the
Australian Capital Territory. The
Operational Response Group (ORG) had responsibility for AFP National and International tactical operations. In July 2012 the SRS was merged with the ORG to create the
Specialist Response Group.
History
The SRS formed part of the Australian Government's
National Anti-Terrorism Plan which required each State/Territory Police Force to maintain a specialist
counter-terrorist and
hostage rescue unit with specialist capabilities. The SRS fulfilled that role within the Australian Capital Territory, until the formation of the SRG.
In 1964 the AFP created the "Armed Offenders Squad" after officers attended a
New South Wales Police Force "Emergency Squad" training course.
This unit was under the control of Detectives and worked on a part-time as needed basis.
As a result of SACPAV recommendations after the 1978
Sydney Hilton bombing
The Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing occurred on 13 February 1978, when a bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel in George Street, Sydney, Australia. At the time the hotel was hosting the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting (CH ...
several members of the Army's elite
Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) were employed as Commonwealth Police in order to create the "Commonwealth Police Counter Terrorist Operations Section" which was dissolved in 1981 after the CHOGM meeting held in
Melbourne.
In 1983, the "Special Operations Team" (SOT) was formed.
In 2002, following
9/11
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
the SOT underwent significant changes. In March 2003, the SOT was renamed to the Specialist Response and Security section.
In October 1998, the SOT participated in Operation ''Linnet'', a land and sea operation off
Port Macquarie that resulted in the seizure of 390 kg of heroin.
The SOT boarded the
Belize-registered freighter ''Uniana'' suspected of smuggling the heroin to Australia from south-east Asia.
Specialist Response and Security (SRS) section of ACT Policing provided a full-time tactical operations unit who also performed
search and rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
and
riot control duties, a K9 role and
bomb squad. The unit also commanded the AFP's Police Negotiation Team, Water Police, Police Divers and Major Events Planning Team. In 2011 SRS took delivery of
Lenco BearCat armoured rescue vehicle for high risk tactical operations.
Role
SRS officers undertook the following duties within the ACT:
*Resolving
siege and
hostage situations, as well as armed offender situations;
*Providing a
negotiation service in high risk and critical situations;
*Undertaking searches of premises in high risk situations;
*The arrest of armed and dangerous offenders;
*Escorting and securing dangerous prisoners in high risk situations;
*Providing support services for major operations;
[ACT Policing Annual Report 2004-2005]
/ref>
* Rescue and bomb disposal operations;
* Counter-terrorism and hijacking operations;
*The escort and security of VIPs, internationally protected persons, Heads of State;
*Testing and evaluation of specialist less than lethal weapons/devices;
On occasion, SRS officers also provided support to international AFP deployments overseas prior to the formation of the Operational Response Group reviously known as the Operational Response Team (ORT)
Their role on such operations included:
* effect high risk searches, search warrants and arrests
* support to public order policing remote rural patrols
* protection of people in high risk situations[Royal visit to Canberra – AFP]
/ref>
* support to the security of members deployed to mission.
Units
The section consisted of a number of units including:
* Water operations team
* Canine (K9) operations team
* Bomb response team
* Tactical Response Team (SRS-TR)
Unit Closure
The SRS merged with Operational Response Group as part of a major restructuring process that was designed to reduce the duplication between specialist AFP and ACT Policing units and national AFP assets into one command and located in Canberra. The Specialist Response Group commenced operations on 1 July 2012.[Elite police super group http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/elite-police-super-group-20120202-1t8fa.html]
See also
* Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. Th ...
* Specialist Response Group
* Operational Response Group
* Australian Capital Territory Police
* Tactical Assault Group
* National Anti Terrorism Exercise
National Counter-Terrorism Exercises involve the Australian Federal Government and all States and Territories designed to test Australia's counter-terrorism response arrangements. Australia's national counter-terrorism arrangements are well prac ...
References
{{Aust PTG
Police units of Australia
Police tactical units
Australian Federal Police
1978 establishments in Australia
2012 disestablishments in Australia