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| Public Order and Riot Squad (New South Wales Police) | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Public Order and Riot Squad |
| Agency | New South Wales Police Force |
| Abbr | PORTS |
| Formed | 1980s |
| Country | Australia |
| Jurisdiction | New South Wales |
| Headquarters | Sydney |
| Parent agency | New South Wales Police Force |
Public Order and Riot Squad (New South Wales Police) is a specialist tactical unit within the New South Wales Police Force charged with managing demonstrations, riots, large-scale public disorder and critical crowd events across New South Wales. It operates alongside other specialist commands such as the Tactical Operations Unit, Dog Unit (New South Wales Police Force), and Marine Area Command to provide a layered response to public safety incidents in urban and regional centres including Sydney, Newcastle, New South Wales, and Wollongong. The unit's remit intersects with statutory frameworks such as the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 and coordination arrangements with emergency services like the NSW Ambulance and the NSW Rural Fire Service.
The development of the unit traces to policing responses to high-profile events in the 1970s and 1980s, including disturbances surrounding the South African rugby tour of Australia and industrial disputes at ports and sites linked to the Maritime Union of Australia. Formalisation occurred within reorganisation phases of the New South Wales Police Force influenced by inquiries into crowd control doctrine and international practices seen in units such as the Metropolitan Police Public Order Branch and the Los Angeles Police Department. Over successive decades the squad adapted to changing protest ecology—ranging from anti-globalisation demonstrations at the World Trade Organization protests to counter-terrorism coordination after the 2005 London bombings—and integrated riot-control equipment and specialist training regimes.
The squad is embedded within the Specialist Operations Command of the New South Wales Police Force and maintains platoon-style subunits configured for rapid deployment to metropolitan and regional incidents. Leadership comprises senior officers with experience in Crime Command (New South Wales) and liaison roles with command elements such as the Counter Terrorism & Special Tactics Command. Operational cells include public order teams, negotiation and liaison officers, and logistics support drawn from the Transport Command (New South Wales Police) and the Communications and Information Command (New South Wales Police). Mutual aid arrangements exist with state tactical groups including the Tactical Operations Unit and interstate counterparts like units within Victoria Police and the Queensland Police Service.
Primary responsibilities cover containment and dispersal of unlawful assemblies, protection of critical infrastructure including ports and parliaments such as the Parliament of New South Wales, escorting high-risk movements, and supporting major event security for venues like ANZ Stadium and Sydney Opera House. The squad provides planned and spontaneous event policing at protests involving organisations such as the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and activist networks associated with climate actions at sites like Barangaroo Reserve. It also contributes to multi-agency responses for civil emergencies, liaising with the New South Wales State Emergency Service and participating in counter-terrorism taskings alongside the Australian Federal Police.
Standard equipment includes personal protective gear comparable to units such as the Metropolitan Police Public Order Branch: ballistic vests, riot helmets, shields, and non-lethal options like baton rounds, OC spray, and pepper ball systems. Communications kit interoperates with systems used by the NSW Ambulance and Fire and Rescue NSW. Vehicles range from personnel carriers and paddy wagons to purpose-built armoured vehicles and aerial support from the NSW Police Airwing. Logistic support leverages assets maintained by the Transport Command (New South Wales Police) and specialist vehicles modeled on designs used by international public order units such as those within the Royal Hong Kong Police Force prior to 1997.
Training pathways incorporate scenarios drawn from public order doctrine used by the United Kingdom Police Service, with emphasis on formation tactics, dynamic containment, negotiation, and de-escalation practised in facilities shared with the Tactical Operations Unit. Regular cross-training occurs with the Counter Terrorism & Special Tactics Command and international exchanges with police services including New Zealand Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Tactics prioritise graduated response models aligned with provisions in the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 and incorporate legal briefings on protester rights related to instruments such as the Summary Offences Act 1988 (NSW).
The squad has been deployed for major events and disturbances such as demonstrations during the APEC Australia 2007 meetings in Sydney, large-scale industrial disputes at Port Botany and protests tied to the G20 Summit 2014 related activities, as well as crowd control during sporting crowd disorders at venues including Bankwest Stadium. It has also taken part in coordinated responses to incidents with national security implications working with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Australian Federal Police after threat-level adjustments for events in Sydney and regional centres.
The unit has faced scrutiny over use-of-force incidents, accountability frameworks, and transparency in reporting outcomes of public order operations, drawing criticism from civil liberties organisations such as the Australian Human Rights Commission and advocacy groups including Amnesty International (Australia). Reviews and inquiries—sometimes invoking comparisons to recommendations from inquiries into public order policing in the United Kingdom and judicial scrutiny under the New South Wales Ombudsman—have recommended changes to oversight, equipment authorisation, and body-worn camera policy. Debates continue in the New South Wales Parliament and among peak bodies like the Law Society of New South Wales about balancing public order maintenance with the protection of lawful assembly and protest rights.
Category:Law enforcement in New South Wales Category:Police tactical units