The Security Response Section is a unit of the South Australian Police Force, deployed to “at-risk” crowded places such as large protests and AFL games, and to conduct regular patrols of Rundle Mall, the Adelaide Railway Station and the Adelaide Central Market. The SRS is a second-tier response between general duties and STAR Group. Unlike regular SAPOL officers, the squad has enhanced tactical skills and operational equipment including combat helmets, ballistic vests and long-arm weapons such as semi-automatic rifles. The unit is claimed to “significantly bolster public safety”. The unit was first flagged by the Government of South Australia in June 2019 and began operation as of 30 June 2020. On its establishment, there were 48 members of the SRS section. It consists of one inspector, one senior sergeant, six sergeants, six brevet sergeants and 33 constable/senior constables. SAPOL is headed by the Commissioner of Police, who reports directly to the Minister for Police. The SRS will cost $9 million, spread between $2.6 million in 2019-20, $2.4 million in 2020-21, and $2.2 million per year from 2021-22.
Deployment and Purpose
Deployment priorities are based around events, intelligence, threat levels and venerable locations. The SRS is also intended to prevent and respond to terrorism-related incidents and domestic events of a violent nature. On launching the SRS, Minister for Police Corey Wingard stated: The SRS also consists of 'bomb appraisal officers' whose role is to undertake initial assessments of IEDs, and tactical flight officers whose responsibilities include providing situational awareness for responders on the ground.
Recruitment and training
181 applicants from SAPOL serving members were assessed by Aptitude Assessment Centre, and 81 applicants were shortlisted to progress to a basic skills course, which enabled them to apply for a position at the SRC. The duration of the training was two days for aptitude and fitness assessment and six weeks of job-specific training. The unit completed intensive training in tactics traditionally only provided by the Special Tasks and Rescue Group. Training included enhanced first aid training, communication skills, weapon handling, tactical shooting and movement as well as techniques utilised to de-escalate situations. The training is above the level of general duties, but not at the same level as STAR Group Operations. SAPOL has initiated programs to remove bias and barriers for women, and has encouraged women to apply for specialist units. A target was set to engage women at 31% of training participants for the SRS, although the course only attained 20% participation by women.
SRS officers are also supported in frontline duties by drones.
Criticisms
After announcing the SRS unit, SAPOL received public backlash, including petitions and protests, amid fears of an American-style gun culture. Other Australian jurisdictions, including New South Wales and Victoria, have established similar units, however notably these jurisdictions have done so with the assurance that officers on patrol would not be deployed with semi-automatic weapons, unlike the SRS. The use of heavy equipment and military style training has been described as a "militarisation" of the police in Australia following similar trends in US such as through the Program 1033. These developments may be in breach of Section 114 of the Australian Constitution, which prohibits state governments from forming their own militias or paramilitary forces. Concerning the broader trend of militarised police forces in Australia, Captain John Sutton has warned:
