Special Tasks and Rescue
| Special Tasks and Rescue Group | |
|---|---|
| Active | 30 November 1978 - Present |
| Branch | South Australia Police |
| Role | Domestic Counter-Terrorism and Law Enforcement |
| Size | 140 Members |
| Part of | South Australia Police Operations Support Service |
| Garrison/HQ | Netley Police Complex |
| Nickname(s) | STAR Group, STAR Force, Starries |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Commissioner of Police, Grant Stevens |
Special Tasks and Rescue (STAR Group) is the Police Tactical Group of the South Australia Police.
Formed on 30 November 1978 the South Australian Police 'STAR Force' was a rationalisation of specialist resources into one command/unit. Specialist units had existed prior to 1978 within SAPOL to deal with emergency situations such as rescues, sieges and armed offenders situations. The Group traces its history back as far as July 1957 with the formation of the Police Rescue Squad, which was later changed to Police Emergency Operations Group. The unit was later to change its name from "Force" to "Group".
While STAR Group officers rarely have to fire their weapon, there have been some incidents in which STAR group officers have fired upon an armed suspect and killed their target as per operation guidelines.
As in other states, SAPOL decided that it would be more practical and expedient to combine all the skills of various tactical/special units in one unit and to have specialist personnel on duty or available on call, at all times to deal with emergencies.
Further restructuring in 1994 saw STAR Group expand its role to include Water Police and the coordination of Negotiators. Certain incidents automatically trigger a STAR Group response such as a high speed chase of offenders known or likely to be armed.
STAR Group is designed to handle problems and situations which require more concentrated attention than can normally be provided by the General Patrol Police and/or which call for tactics and/or equipment which cannot be used by patrol members in uniform [1].
The unit consists of highly trained personnel skilled in the use of firearms, counter-terrorist tactics, crowd control, crime prevention techniques, underwater recovery, water policing, Close Personal Protection and search and rescue operations. Thus there is available at all times a mobile patrol force to assist other line units in emergencies of any kind, and to act as a support force in crime control operations.
In 2011 STAR Group took delivery of a Lenco BearCat armoured vehicle available for use in siege or terrorist situations. The Bearcat replaces a previous Tenix Defence S600 armoured rescue vehicle used by the Group. In 2006 STAR Group response to over 335 search and rescue incidents and 126 tactical/high-risk operations across the State.
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Wikipedia