Tasmania Police Special Operations Group
| Special Operations Group | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1978 - present |
| Country |
 Australia
|
| Branch | Tasmania Police |
| Type | Counter-terrorism |
| Role | Law Enforcement and Domestic counter-terrorism |
| Size | 30 |
| Part of | Specialist Capability Support, Special Response and Counter-Terrorism Unit |
| Garrison/HQ | Hobart |
| Nickname(s) | Soggies Sons of God |
| Motto(s) | "Si Opus Sit" (If Necessary) |
| Engagements | Port Arthur massacre |
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 incorporates police officers who, through specific training, have acquired skills and expertise to provide a specialist resource and response to support statewide operational policing when beyond the scope of general police resources, practices or situation management. The SOG is deployed in high risk situations and in other approved circumstances approved by an Assistant Commissioner.
The SOG has its origins in the Armed Offenders Squad formed in 1978, renamed the Special Weapons Squad by 1985 and to the Special Operations Group between 1988-1991.
In July 1991, an SOG sniper fatally shot Vietnam war veteran Joseph Gilewicz near Pelverata.
In April 1996, the SOG responded to the Port Arthur shootings by Martin Bryant reported to have killed over 30 people and possessed a 5.56mm AR-15 assault rifle and a 7.62mm FN FAL assault rifle together with large quantities of ammunition. Bryant was intellectually disabled and mentally ill. On a Sunday morning, Bryant travelled to the Seascape tourist accommodation facility and killed the couple who owned the bed and breakfast. Shortly afterwards he drove a short distance to Port Arthur, a popular tourist attraction, and started shooting people at around 1330 hours. Uniform police quite a distance away were dispatched. He killed 31 people and injured 19 changing between rifles. He left Port Arthur at about 1345 hours carjacking a BMW and ambushed a car taking a male hostage before returning to Seascape at about 2pm. The male hostage was secured in the house before he set the BMW on fire. Two uniform police arrive witnessing the BMW alight and were fired upon taking cover in a culvert. At about 1530 hours negotiators made contact with Bryant. At 1537 hours, an SOG contingent departed Hobart, 85km away, by helicopter together with a contingent by car at 404pm. At about 2100 hours two SOG officers joined the uniform officers in the culvert and at about 2300 hours crawled out about 200m to safety. Continuous fire came from various directions from Seascape using differing weapons augmented by weapons the owners possessed including a 7.62mm SKS assault rifle. A sniper made it as close as 75m from Seascape. The operator's radio light was not concealed and ever transmit Bryant saw the red light and fired upon the operator. Bryant advised the negotiator that he saw police. The SOG thought he may possess night vision not aware of the radio light. The SOG believed that in addition to the confirmed hostage that the owner couple were still alive and were hostages. The SOG formed a perimeter under constant fire. No fire was returned by the SOG due to risk to hostages. Twelve officers from the Victoria Police Special Operations Group arrived by a chartered plant at 2300 hours to provide assistance. An immediate action plan was prepared to rescue the three hostages with an estimated in excess of 30% casualty rate for the operators. No movement by a hostage had been witnessed. A decision was made to wait it out. Between 0400 and 0600 hours there was a lull in the firing. At about 0745 hours a fire started with Bryant at about 0825 hours running out on fire and unarmed. Nearly 200 rounds had been fired from Seascape. 35 people had been killed and 23 wounded.
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