$6.2m bill for anti-terrorism unit
Police spending on its dedicated tactical group has increased nearly thirty-fold since the World Trade Center terrorist attacks in 2001, with Kiwi taxpayers now funding them to the tune of $6.2 million.
Information released under the Official Information Act shows that annual funding for the special tactics group (STG) was just $226,000 in 1999-2000 and has grown to $6.26m in 2017-18.
The unit is used by police to respond to ‘‘high-end tactical incidents’’ beyond the capabilities of the armed offenders squad (AOS). Its jurisdiction includes terrorism and hostage rescue.
High-profile incidents involving the STG include the 1990 Aramoana massacre, the Napier seige in 2009, and the response to gunman Quinn Patterson in Northland last year.
The unit has also been deployed overseas to assist with security operations at Apec and G20 summits in Australia.
Inspector Geoff Jago, police operations support commander, said the funding increase could be attributed to the STG becoming a fulltime unit ‘‘around’’ 2002.
The group was initially raised in the 1970s as the anti-terrorist squad and was staffed with parttime members before changing its name in the 1990s. It became a fulltime unit following the rise in international terrorist incidents in the early 2000s, such as the September 11 attacks in the United States.
‘‘It certainly would have been
based on international events,’’ Jago said. ‘‘New Zealand wanted to ensure it had a fulltime capability able to [respond to such events].
‘‘STG is a fulltime unit, whereas AOS are part-time – with all AOS [officers] undertaking other policing duties. [The STG] have specific training in certain tactical options and for more prolonged or hostile operations.’’
Bush-craft, rappelling, building entry and ‘‘room clearance’’ were all techniques used by the STG that were outside of usual police training.
Dr John Battersby, a fellow at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University, said it was prudent for police to maintain the STG.
New Zealand could see what was happening overseas and could not afford to wait until the country was struck by terrorism, he said.
Modern acts of terrorism generally happened quickly and police needed a unit with their specialist skills and capabilities as they were the first organisation to respond to such incidents.
‘‘Terrorism is a criminal act, especially the type of terrorism we are seeing now where people commit a succession of criminal offences or go after a volume of a country’s citizens,’’ said Battersby.
‘‘Apprehension is a police duty. Almost all police organisations around the world retain a similar capability for this reason.’’
In the 2017-18 financial year, the STG was deployed 84 times. By part-way through December, the AOS had been deployed 961 times in 2018.
Jago did not consider the STG an elite force but, rather, a specialised section available for use by police when and if needed.
It trained with equivalent Australian units and elements of the New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS). D Squadron of SAS is the New Zealand Defence Force’s domestic counterterrorism unit.
STG units are located in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch..
Jago would not say how many officers were assigned to STG units.