Life on the frontline with NSW’s elite Public Order and Riot Squad
The Sunday Telegraph spends a day training with the elite NSW Public Order and Riot Squad, where officers wear 30kg of protective clothing as they take on some of the state’s most dangerous situations, from search warrants to violent protests.
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At an unmarked training compound in Western Sydney, an elite squad of armed police officers wearing balaclavas and body armour smash through the door.
It’s an entrance designed to be not just dramatic but, as an observer said, make an unsuspecting occupant “shit themselves”.
Yet it comes with one very polite first step.
“We always knock first,” one officer said.
“Three knocks to give them the opportunity to open the door. But then we go in.”
With civil unrest and the need for raids on the rise, the state government has funded another three full-time positions to take the 97-strong NSW Public Order and Riot Squad to a round 100 later this year.
The team is complemented by another 1200 specially-trained police officers around the state, who can be called upon when required.
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Last week Police Minister David Elliott gave The Sunday Telegraph exclusive access to watch the squad conduct its exercises.
As well as shields and batons, two years ago officers were given M4 semiautomatic rifles to be used in “active armed offender” incidents.
Sergeant Glenn Price, who was in a London riot squad in the 1990s, said ice had made the job a lot more challenging.
“There is a lot more violence and mental illness,” he said.
“But I have confidence with the people I work with. We train every day — cross fit, tyres, running. There is a tight bond.
“Wearing 20-30kg of gear, it does get hot. You get drenched, especially if on duty for hours, but you get used to it.”
Formed in 2005 by the then state government following criticism of the handling of the Macquarie Fields and Redfern riots, the squad has played a key role in managing Sydney’s major protests such as the recent Extinction Rebellion marches where protesters locked themselves in a water tank.
The officers were also called in to bring rioting teenagers under control during a 22-hour siege at the Frank Baxter Youth Justice Centre at Kariong.
The squad also stepped in at the violent 2012 Hyde Park riot where future terrorists Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar were found to have participated.
It is the only event where one of their own was injured. It was one that the officers regard as their most complex job given the speed at which the crowd amassed and moved.
It exercised its search and enter capabilities two weeks ago during the raids of the Finks Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, while also taking part in a series of counter-terrorism searches.
The officers have also been involved in the searches relating to the disappearance of William Tyrell.
The officers are also called upon to escort high-profile prisoners, such as the late backpacker killer Ivan Milat.
Squad Commander, Chief Superintendent Donna Adney, said the job demanded both physical and mental toughness.
“They must always remember that they are part of a team and that the weakest link will let the chain down,” she said.
“They also must not respond to provocation. If someone says something, throws something, you don’t react.
“And always have situational awareness. The officers need to be constantly taking in information and communicating.”
Mr Elliott said the squad stood ready to respond to events of significant civil unrest.
“I’m thrilled this capability is available to NSW Police as it will remind the community that we can respond to the kind of anti-social behaviour that is becoming all too prevalent around the world,” he said.
Originally published as Life on the frontline with NSW’s elite Public Order and Riot Squad