Public Order And Riot Squad
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Public Order & Riot Squad (PORS) is the full-time
riot squad Riot control is a form of public order policing used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to social control, control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful Demonstration (people), demonstration ...
of the
New South Wales Police Force The New South Wales Police Force is a law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia, established in 1862. With more than 17,000 police officers, it is the largest police organisation in Australia, policing an area of 801,60 ...
. 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. The Squad was created within the Major Events and Incidents Group Command in October 2005. Becoming operational in January 2006 PORS was created as a result of Parliamentary reports into the response and handling of
riots A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...
in 2004 Redfern riots and
2005 Macquarie Fields riots The 2005 Macquarie Fields riots were a series of disturbances in south-west Sydney which occurred from 25 February 2005-1 March 2005. The Macquarie Fields riots were referred to as a riot by both the Parliament of New South Wales and the media. ...
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 The State Protection Group (SPG) is part of the Counter Terrorism & Special Tactics Command of the New South Wales Police Force and wa ...
of the 1980s except for some differences in charter and organisation. They are supplemented by statewide part-time Operations Support Group units. In 2009, the squad was featured in an episode of '' 60 Minutes'' titled "Brute Force" showing officers in action across
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. 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 assault rifle developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensively used by the US mi ...
assault rifle.NSW Police get Colt M4 - CONTACT magazine
/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 Taser (stylized in all caps) is a line of handheld conducted energy devices (CED) sold by Axon Enterprise (formerly Taser International). The device fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the targe ...
weapons. Their units include 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 or 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. At one point, PORS had a water cannon truck intended for use during severe riots. It was the first time any Australian police service had acquired such a vehicle, being purpose built at a cost of $600,000 AUD. The Riot Control Vehicle was equipped with shatterproof "anti-bandit glass" reinforced with wire mesh, and a heavy push bar allowing it to clear barricades and other obstacles. It also was fitted with an airtight cabin to protect police from smoke, gas and other irritants. 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 NSW (FRNSW) previously known as NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB), is a agency of the New South Wales Government, Australia. FRNSW is responsible for firefighting, rescue and HAZMAT services in the major cities, metropolitan areas and ...
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, 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 ...
cable tie flex-cuffs and
rubber bullets "Rubber Bullets" is a song by the English band 10cc from their self-titled debut album. It was written by Lol Creme, Kevin Godley and Graham Gouldman. Recording and impact The song features a double-speed guitar solo, guitarist Eric Stewart ...
. The equipment is stored in station and their patrol units. 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 and 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 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 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, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
football matches held in New South Wales.


See also

* 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 (Victoria) *
Riot control Riot control is a form of public order policing used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to social control, control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful Demonstration (people), demonstration ...
*
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 officers who act in the role of riot police in particular situations, or they may be separate unit ...


References


External links


NSW Police website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Public Order And Riot Squad New South Wales Police Force units 2005 establishments in Australia