Operations Support Group
Operations Support Group police are specialist police within the New South Wales Police Force. They are trained in public order response; weaponless control ; violent prisoner cell extractions; high-value asset protection; navigation and terrain search; bomb searching; and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response.
Often mistakenly referred to as the ″operational support group″ by the media and even sections of the NSW Police Force, the OSG form part of the state's public order and high urgency response in areas such as Kings Cross, Redfern, Auburn and the Sydney CBD. Regional areas of New South Wales also have OSG operatives operating in a 'needs basis' capacity, with operatives deployed in regions like Bourke, Grafton and Moree. The majority of OSG trained officers operate in a 'part time' capacity; that is, they have a full-time role in other areas of the Police Force such as General Duties or Highway Patrol, and are called in on a needs basis to fulfill operational requirements.
Metropolitan based regions of the NSW Police Force operate OSG teams in a full time capacity under the titles of "Region Enforcement Squads", with squads existing in , , and the . Officers go on secondment as a full-time OSG operative to these squads.
History
In 1981 the NSW Police Force created the Tactical Response Group whose primary tasks included riot control/response, high risk search warrants, searches for missing person, crowd control and bomb search. The TRG's tactical duties were shared between another specialist unit of the time known as Special Weapons and Operations Section with both units fulfilling the role of being the state's official SWAT team. During the Bathurst Riots 1985, the TRG 'showed their mettle' against overwhelming odds, however, more public order specific police were desperately needed. In 1991 both the TRG and SWOS were made defunct and replaced with the Tactical Operations Unit whose primary role is specialist counter-terrorist and hostage-rescue functions. The removal of dedicated riot control/response left a shortfall in NSW Police ability to respond/deal with public order incidents.As such, a small contingent of officers trained in crowd control, then known as the Patrol Support Group was formed in various Districts. This name was soon to change from Patrol Support Group to Operations Support Group. The OSG were formed in the now in the early 1990s, but were limited in both numbers and resources. As a new unit, the OSG's capabilities were unclear to police commanders themselves, and they worked mainly in limited numbers in the Sydney CBD at peaceful rallies and protests.
With the 2006 creation of the Public Order and Riot Squad, OSG units had their title officially changed to the 'Public Order Operations Support Groups'. These days, OSG refers to a Regional Unit, whereas POOSG refers to the units as a whole.
Major Operations
1995 Bondi Beach riots
The riots began on Christmas evening. After sunset, Bondi Beach grew cold and the estimated 20,000 backpackers from an informal beach party left the beach and milled about blocking Queen Elizabeth Drive. At about 9.30 p.m. aggressive groups of male youths arrived in their cars and contested the space. Violence erupted with an estimated 1,000 people fighting and throwing missiles. Police attempted to move and disperse the crowd but the crowd turned hostile on the police, trashing police cars, obstructing traffic and throwing bottles. Several people were injured, as were police, and serious damage was caused to six police vehicles. No arrests were made due to the extreme congestion of people and the danger confronting police and bystanders.On New Year's Eve, "car enthusiasts"–Middle Eastern males from southwestern Sydney–came back without cars. Fearful bus drivers carried aggressive and abusive young males across the city to Bondi. By 11.30 p.m. the crowd was estimated at 15,000 and growing, peaking by 2.00 am at 20,000. There were bashings and stabbings in the Park.
Again, the crowd turned on the police and Bondi Park became a running battle with some 80 General Duties police, some Highway Patrol and two police dogs fighting the 20,000-strong crowd unaided for five hours. During the course of the evening, twelve people were arrested with some 20 charges being laid, mostly concerning 'affray' and 'riotous behaviour'. Police also arrested three people after serious assaults – one juvenile charged with 'malicious wounding' and two adults charged with 'assault with a weapon'. All three were convicted and sentenced.
The Bondi Riots were a wake-up call to the NSW community, prompting the then local member Peter Debnam to "condemn the Minister for Police for his failure to address serious policing issues at Bondi". The few PSG and limited OSG officers were not even able to deploy to the beach front until 6 am New Year's Day, effectively after the event, due to CBD violence they were already engaged with.
2004 Redfern riots
See article: 2004 Redfern riotsFrom this point the recruitment and strength of the OSG was promoted and bolstered. Not known to the public yet and still only used sporadically, it was not until two years of riots back to back that the OSG was brought to the forefront of the state's public order response. The 2004 Redfern riots took place on the evening of Saturday, 14 February 2004 in the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern, sparked by the death of Thomas 'T.J.' Hickey, a 17-year-old Indigenous Australian. Fliers were distributed blaming police for the death, and discontented aboriginal youths gathered from across Sydney. The police closed the Eveleigh Street entrance to the Redfern railway station, but the crowd had turned violent and began to throw bottles, bricks and Molotov cocktails and to use fireworks as missiles. The violence escalated into a full-scale riot around The Block, during which the station was briefly alight, suffering superficial damage. The riot continued into the early morning, until police used fire brigade water hoses to disperse the crowd. One car, stolen in a western suburb, was torched, and 40 police officers were injured. Many OSG deployed complained that General Duties Police commanders had halted their movement and tactics and had the OSG standing static, akin to sitting ducks, whilst the offenders roamed and rearmed themselves with rocks and molotov fire bombs. One OSG officer was hit directly in the head with a full brick and but for his helmet would surely have perished. The OSG Units then insisted on not only their own Tactical Advisors being on the ground with them but on having their high ranking OSG commanders in the field with them, enabling autonomous deployment.
2005 Macquarie Fields riots
In February 2005, Macquarie Fields, located in southwestern Sydney, was wracked by violence through the outbreak of a suburban riot which was prompted by the death of two young men during a police pursuit. During this engagement all available OSG from Central and South Western Region were mobilised. Over four days and nights in full riot gear, they contained the mainly government housing estates and made numerous arrests for serious offences including assault, riot and affray. To the state's police command the OSG had proven their worth. Before the year was over on 4 December 2005, a group of volunteer surf lifesavers were assaulted by a group of young men of Middle Eastern appearance, with several other violent assaults occurring over the next week. This triggered the Cronulla Riots, which lasted roughly 48 hours with Middle Eastern reprisal attacks across Cronulla and Maroubra suburbs that same evening. Again it was the OSG who were immediately brought into the fray and with the help of GD, HWP, Mounted and Dog Squad, were able to restore order to the city within 72 hours.The value of the OSG officers was cemented and the New South Wales Police Force Public Order and Riot Squad was then created as a full-time riot squad in January 2006. At the time of creation all PORS Commanders and Officers were taken solely from the OSG ranks. The formation of PORS has now created a full-time avenue for OSG personnel beyond the mainly 'on-call' OSG response. The tactics and training of the OSG and PORS are identical and the PORS Commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Cullen, is now also the head of the OSG.
2005 Cronulla riots
See article: 2005 Cronulla riotsThe 2005 Cronulla riots were a series of sectarian clashes and mob violence in Australia, originating in the Sydney suburb of Cronulla, New South Wales, and spreading, over the next few nights, to additional suburbs.
On 4 December 2005, a group of volunteer surf lifesavers were assaulted by a group of young men of Middle Eastern appearance, with several other violent assaults occurring over the next week. These incidents were widely commented on in the Sydney media and are considered to be a key factor in a racially motivated confrontation the following weekend. Racial tensions were already prevalent among the two racial groups due to the Sydney Gang Rapes of 2000, among other social incidents, which likely contributed to the scale of the escalation, even though a later review by New South Wales Police found that the initial incident was no more significant, of itself, than other fights between the two racial groups.
A crowd gathered on the morning of Sunday, 11 December 2005 and, by midday, approximately 5,000 people gathered at Cronulla beach to protest against the recent spate of violence against locals. However, fuelled by alcohol, the crowd turned to violence when a young man of Middle Eastern appearance was spotted on the beach. He was surrounded by a crowd outside a local hotel and attacked, along with similar attacks later that day. Retaliatory riots also took place that night and on subsequent nights, resulting in extensive property damage and several more assaults, including one stabbing and even some attacks against ambulance and police officers.