Critical Incident Response Team
| Critical Incident Response Team | |
|---|---|
| File:Vpol1.png | |
| Active | 2004[1] - Present |
| Country |  Australia |
| Branch | Victoria Police |
| Role | Law Enforcement |
| Size | 180 full-time officers |
| Part of | Specialist Support Department |
| Garrison/HQ | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Nickname(s) | CIRT |
The Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) are teams of officers from the Victoria Police Force Response Unit (FRU) available to provide assistance to general duties police, including a negotiator capability, to resolve high risk incidents utilising specialist tactics and equipment.
Overview
The FRU has several CIRT teams on call to respond to incidents that are beyond the scope, experience and skill level of general duties police (uniform police). CIRT teams patrol metropolitan Melbourne 24-hours, seven-day-per-week, ready to rapidly respond to incidents in Melbourne or thought out Victoria.
Network Ten's police drama Rush (2008 TV series) is based upon the critical incident response team.[2]
In March 2004, the FRU launched the CIRT concept to provide specialist assistance to general duties police, and to free up the highly specialised Special Operations Group tactical unit from attending incidents not within their call out criteria after a gap was identified [1]. The primary role of the FRU subsequently changed to providing CIRT teams. The FRU had been responsible for providing negotiators, this continues, with each CIRT containing an officer who is a trained negotiator. The concept is similar to the British police Armed response vehicle (ARV). An individual CIRT is referred to as a Van due to their use of this vehicle, similar to use of the acronym ARV.
Role of the CIRT
The primary function of a CIRT is to provide a rapid specialised response available to general duties police for high risk incidents, such as violent offenders, armed offenders (non-firearms), hostage situations and sieges (armed offenders (non-firearms), mentally ill / drug effected). The FRU has a reported strength of 180 officers, including several female officers, who receive 6 weeks of training at the police academy.[3]
The incidents pose a threat to general duties police or are difficult to resolve due to violence or other dangers. Any general duties police officer can request assistance from a CIRT who rapidly respond. CIRT has specialised training and is equipped with more "less than lethal" options to resolve an incident than general duties police.
An incident may fall within the call out criteria of the Special Operations Group (SOG) such as a firearm incident. However, the SOG requires that a high ranking police officer authorise their deployment. In the interim, a CIRT can rapidly respond to the incident awaiting the SOG arrival providing cordon and containment. On arrival of the SOG, CIRT can provide assistance to the SOG such as perimeter containment.
A CIRT officer previously only had the tactical option of a handgun and/or a shotgun, officers are now equipped with the Heckler & Koch UMP .40 submachine gun [4] to enable them to better cordon and contain firearms incidents, and if necessary, resolve the incident.
The FRU has officers, the Tasked Operations team, who receive further training in Tactical Arrest Options to conduct level 2 forced entries for general duties / detectives to execute search warrants on premises or to conduct high risk arrests[3] which are below the scope / deployment criteria of the Special Operations Group .
The Critical Incident Response Team continues to offer a variety of other support and specialist services such as:
- Close personal protection
- The provision of trained and qualified police negotiators and equipment
- The provision of security for protected witnesses
- High risk escorts
- Prison/ police cell assaults/extractions
- The conduct or assistance with covert or overt operations in support of investigations and /or the apprehension of offenders
- Suspicious substance response and/or advice
- Chemical, biological, and/or radiological (CBR) response capabilities and equipment
- Training
Victoria Police formed a new unit, the Public Order Response Team (PORT) in 2011, that provides rapid response to public order incidents to assist general duties police in Melbourne or through out Victoria. Prior to the formation of PORT, a CIRT was the only rapid response available to assist general duties police.
Equipment
CIRT teams are always on the road patrolling metropolitan Melbourne in vehicles enabling them to rapidly respond, originally vehicles were Mercedes Sprinter vans, now vehicles are Volkswagen Transporter vans.
CIRT officers have a range of specialised equipment and weapons in their inventory ranging from ballistic and tactical vests, helmets, riot shields, Tasers, bean bag rounds, gas masks, breaching tools and various oleoresin capsicum (OC) (pepper spray) delivery systems [5] [2] Officers are armed with Smith & Wesson M&P .40 handguns, Heckler & Koch UMP .40 submachine guns and various shotguns.[6][7][8]
See also
References
- ^ 11242 OMB SOG Report Cover - The Office of Police Integrity www.opi.vic.gov.au/file.php?73
- ^ RUSH, about the show: http://ten.com.au/rush-about-the-show.htm
- ^ a b http://issuu.com/policelife/docs/2687_policelife_autumn_2014_fa_web/11
- ^ Siege and hold-up could be linked http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/siege-and-hold-up-could-be-linked/story-fn6t2xlc-1226234080404
- ^ "Critical Incident Response Team" (PDF). Retrieved 2 July 2008.
- ^ Victoria police CIRT perform tactical arrest drills for public http://www.demotix.com/news/1076062/victoria-police-cirt-perform-tactical-arrest-drills-public?destination=search/context
- ^ North Bendigo siege ends in arrest http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/multimedia/images/large/1506539.jpg
- ^ Police shut down Werribee streets after reports of gunfire inside home http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/heavily-armed-cops-block-off-streets-in-werribee/story-fn7x8me2-1226232381164
