Victoria Police Special Operations Group
| Special Operations Group | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1977 - Present |
| Country |
 Australia |
| Branch | Victoria Police |
| Role | Law Enforcement and domestic Counter-Terrorism |
| Part of | Security Services Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Melbourne |
| Nickname(s) | Sons of God Soggies |
| Motto(s) | "Blessed are the peacemakers" from Matthew 5:9 |
| Engagements | Port Arthur massacre, Melbourne gangland killings |
The Special Operations Group (SOG) is the Police Tactical Group of the Victoria Police who wear iconic black coveralls synonymous of the SOG. The unit was formed in 1977 and is based in Melbourne.
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 screened a documentary on the SOG selection course that included long runs, interspersed with scoffing warm beer and meat pies until the volunteers threw up. 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 force to be used as a last resort. In 1996, the SOG became the first Police Tactical Group to deploy interstate, with twelve officers urgently sent to Tasmania via charter plane to assist the part-time Tasmania Police Special Operations Group to respond to the Port Arthur massacre.
In 2003, the Bomb Response Unit (BRU) was established with dedicated officers within the SOG who had always provided a bomb search and disposal capability to Victoria Police. In 2004, the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) was formed to respond to high risk non-firearm 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. 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.
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