Critical Incident Response Team
Encyclopedia
Critical incident response teams (CIRT) are part of the Victorian Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...

 Force Response Unit Command.

Overview

The critical incident response teams respond to incidents that wouldn’t warrant the attendance of the Special Operations Group
Victoria Police Special Operations Group
The Special Operations Group is the police tactical group of the Victoria Police.-History:The Special Operations Group was formed in 1977. Its main function was to provide a response to politically motivated and criminal terrorist activity. Today, this remains the number one priority for the...

 but for which the general duties police are not trained or equipped to deal with, such as offenders armed with knives or potential suicides and 'suspect parcels' http://www.tpav.org.au/_documents/Journals/2006/June/34e7e4ed-9bb3-4189-b6cc-17c758e2326b/page18_19.pdf

CIRTs also maintain a 24 hour, seven day per week, first response to incidents including armed offender, hostage situations, violent prisoner control or transfer, suspicious substance attacks and terrorist actions in support of the Special Operations Group. CIRT officers currently respond to over 20 incidents a month.

In high risk situations CIRT response is to cordon and contain an area until the arrival of the Special Operations Group. CIRT officers have a range of specialised equipment and weapons in their inventory ranging from ballistic and tactical vests, shotguns, tasers, bean bag rounds and various OC (pepper spray
Pepper spray
Pepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...

) delivery systems http://www.tpav.org.au/_documents/Journals/2006/June/34e7e4ed-9bb3-4189-b6cc-17c758e2326b/page18_19.pdf

Network Ten's police drama Rush (2008 TV series)
Rush (2008 TV series)
-DVD releases:-Achievements:-International distribution:-External links:...

 is based upon the critical incident response team.

Role of the Force Response Unit

The primary functions of the Force Response Unit are to provide support to police operations and protection to witnesses at risk. The FRU provides support to regions in their response to emergency, public disorder and general operational situations that have proved, or are anticipated to be beyond the resources of the region concerned. FRU personnel are deployed mainly in circumstances where for one reason or another, local police are unable to adequately respond to the situation http://www.tpav.org.au/_documents/Journals/2006/June/34e7e4ed-9bb3-4189-b6cc-17c758e2326b/page18_19.pdf.

In March 2004, the FRU launched the CIRT concept after a gap in the resources available to regional police members was identified http://www.tpav.org.au/_documents/Journals/2006/June/34e7e4ed-9bb3-4189-b6cc-17c758e2326b/page18_19.pdf.

In situations where incidents pose a threat to members or are difficult to resolve due to violence or other dangers and do not fall into the call out criteria of the Special Operations Group (SOG) there is another option, CIRT deployment. The provision of the CIRT has since become the main function of the FRU and an invaluable resource to Victoria Police http://www.tpav.org.au/_documents/Journals/2006/June/34e7e4ed-9bb3-4189-b6cc-17c758e2326b/page18_19.pdf.
The Force Response Unit continues to offer a variety of other support and specialist services such as:
  1. Close personal protection
  2. The provision of trained and qualified police negotiators and equipment
  3. The provision of security for protected witnesses
  4. High risk escorts
  5. Prison/ police cell assaults/extractions
  6. The conduct or assistance with covert or overt operations in support of investigations and /or the apprehension of offenders
  7. Suspicious substance response and/or advice
  8. Chemical, biological, and/or radiological (CBR) response capabilities and equipment
  9. Training

See also

  • Police Tactical Group
    Police Tactical Group
    Police tactical groups , formerly known as "police assault groups", are part of the Australian government's National Anti-Terrorism Plan which, since 1978, has required each state and territory police force to maintain a specialised counter-terrorist and hostage rescue unit jointly funded by the...

  • National Anti Terrorism Exercise
  • SWAT
    SWAT
    A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...

  • Counter-terrorism
    Counter-terrorism
    Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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