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The Special Operations Group (SOG) is the police tactical group of the
Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victo ...
. The SOG was Australia's first full time and dedicated police tactical group when it formed in 1977.


History

The SOG was formed in secrecy on 31 October 1977 by Chief Commissioner Mick Miller to establish a group to conduct special operations in regard to counter terrorism that would be directed towards preventative/protective security and combatting operations. ''Terrorism'' meaning politically motivated criminal activity as well as other forms of criminal activity which terrorise innocent persons. The first the public was aware of the existence of the SOG was by an article in The Age newspaper in 1980. In 1992, the
Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
screened a television documentary on the SOG selection course, that included long runs, interspersed with scoffing warm beer and meat pies until the volunteers threw up, to demonstrate how drinking any alcohol while on call, would impair functioning. In 1995, following a review of the SOG as part of Project Beacon, safety-first tactics were introduced along with less-than-lethal equipment with the philosophy that use of force is the last resort. In 1996, the SOG became the first Police Tactical Group to deploy interstate, with ten officers urgently sent to Tasmania via charter plane to assist the part-time
Tasmania Police Special Operations Group The Special Operations Group (SOG) is the Police Tactical Group of the Tasmania Police and is the only part-time police tactical group in Australia. The SOG is transitioning to become a full-time group by 2024. Mission The SOG incorporates p ...
to respond to the Port Arthur massacre. In 2003, the Bomb Response Unit (BRU) was established with dedicated officers within the SOG which had since inception provided a bomb search and disposal capability to Victoria Police. In 2004, the
Critical Incident Response Team The Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is a specialist unit of the Victoria Police that provides assistance to general duties police, including a negotiator capability, to resolve high risk incidents utilising specialist tactics and equipmen ...
(CIRT) was formed to respond to high risk non-firearms incidents to reduce the SOG workload. Such as a call out in September 1998 when the SOG disarmed a sword-wielding mentally ill man in a two-hour stand off in front of a 2000-strong crowd near
Flinders Street station Flinders Street railway station is a train station located on the corner of Flinders Street, Melbourne, Flinders and Swanston Street, Swanston streets in the Melbourne city centre, central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria (Austral ...
. Earlier in 1995 during the SOG Review, there had been a proposal for two SOG teams consisting of four officers each to patrol Melbourne similar to CIRT. In 2011, the SOG responded to 4 sieges, conducted 10 forced building entries, conducted 54 high-risk arrests and mobile intercepts, and 36 cordon-and-call operations. The SOG has two nicknames ''Soggies'' and the ''Sons of God'', the latter a backronym made from the initials SOG. The unofficial SOG emblem is telescopic crosshairs superimposed over a balaclava-clad head on an outline of Australia. Notable recent incidents include the Brighton siege in June 2017, the fatal shooting of Mohamed Chaouk in April 2005 in Brooklyn, Wayne Joannou in February 2005 in South Melbourne, and earlier the fatal shooting of Norman Leung Lee in July 1992 at Melbourne Airport, the manhunt for Melbourne Remand Centre escapees in March 1993 near Jamieson, resolving a siege at a law firm in Mitcham in June 1996 with tear gas and a siege in Kangaroo Flat in October 1999 in which four uniform officers had been wounded. The SOG was responsible for the security of the
2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...
.


Role

The SOG provides Victoria Police with a counter terrorist and high risk arrest response capability. The SOG roles include, but are not limited to: * Armed offender * Terrorism or significant politically motivated violence * Unplanned operational critical incidents, such as situations involving armed offenders including sieges and hostage situations * Planned operations involving the arrest of dangerous suspects * Undertaking searches of premises in high risk situations (level three) * Bomb related incidents * Covert surveillance or reconnaissance beyond the scope of operational police The SOG is part of the Security Services Division of the Transit & Public Safety Command within Victoria Police. In 2016, it was announced that the SOG strength would be increased by 20 new officers. Earlier in 2010, the strength of the unit had been cut to expand CIRT. In 2016, it was also announced that the SOG would develop a new capability with their own tactical dogs. In 2018, it was reported that the SOG had created a Quick Response Force (QRF) to provide a rapid response to high risk incidents that can self-deploy unlike standard call-outs.


Training

Volunteers for the SOG need to successfully complete a two-week selection course, and if successful, must then successfully complete a 12-week training course. In 2016, it was announced that a new A$27 million training facility would be built. In April 2022, the Specialist Training Facility opened, it cost nearly A$60 million to build and has three firing ranges and a combat range.


Equipment

The SOG wear an iconic black uniform synonymous of the SOG. In 2021, it was reported that the uniform colour had changed to
khaki The color khaki (, ) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge. Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy ...
. The SOG use a variety of specialised weapons and equipment including the
Smith & Wesson M&P The Smith & Wesson M&P (Military and Police) is a polymer- framed, short recoil operated, locked breech semi-automatic pistol introduced in the summer of 2005 by the American company Smith & Wesson. It uses a Browning-type locking system. Whil ...
pistol, SIG MCX SBR rifle,
Remington Remington may refer to: Organizations * Remington Arms, American firearms manufacturer * Remington Rand, American computer manufacturer * Remington Products, American manufacturer of shavers and haircare products * Remington College, American c ...
12 gauge shotguns, sniper rifles and 40mm grenade launcher. In July 2018, the SOG took delivery of two
Lenco BearCat The Lenco BearCat is a wheeled SWAT vehicle designed for military and law enforcement use. It is in use by several military forces and law enforcement agencies around the world. History Since 1981 the Massachusetts-based Lenco Industries, known ...
armoured rescue vehicles, one funded by the
Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...
and the other purchased by Victoria Police, to replace their older model BearCat. In April 2013, the SOG had taken delivery of a BearCat funded by the
Federal Government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
. The BearCat had replaced a Canadian made Armet Armored Vehicles Balkan Mk7 that had been in service since 2009. The Balkan had replaced their first armoured vehicle, a British made Composite Armoured Vehicle (CAV) 100
Land Rover Land Rover is a British brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR currently builds Land Rovers ...
Defender, acquired in 1995 after being imported for trialling by the
Special Air Service Regiment The Special Air Service Regiment, officially abbreviated SASR though commonly known as the SAS, is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957, it was modelled on the British SAS sharing the motto, "Who Dares Wins". The reg ...
. In 2016, the acquisition of three new ballistic rated vehicles was announced.


See also

* Tactical Assault Groups (Australian Defence Force) *
National Counter-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


Further reading

*


External links


Victoria Police official website
{{Aust PTG Police units of Australia Non-military counterterrorist organizations Law enforcement units 1977 establishments in Australia Victoria Police