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93-576: The Special Operations Group ( SOG ) is the police tactical group of the Tasmania Police . In August 2024, the SOG transitioned from a part-time unit to a full-time unit. The SOG incorporates police officers who, through specific training, have acquired skills and expertise to provide a specialist resource and response to support statewide operational policing when beyond the scope of general police resources, practices or situation management. The SOG

186-488: A CHOGM event was being conducted at that time, saw the formation of the Standing Advisory Committee on Commonwealth and State Co-operation for Protection Against Violence (SAC-PAV). Prior to this, Australia had no formal mechanisms to respond to terrorism. SAC-PAV provided national consistency across all jurisdictions and made several recommendations, including that all states and territories maintain

279-473: A flood plain . The last major flood occurred in 1929 when Invermay was completely devastated. More than 4,000 people were left homeless after just one night of flooding. Since then, there have only been minor floods. Work was under way in 2011 on a $ 59 million flood levee upgrade that should protect the city from 1-in-200-year events, that was then expected to take five to six years to construct. The council had acquired land used by eighteen businesses on

372-420: A A$ 1 million Specialist Capabilities Building facility was opened in northern Tasmania. In December 2022, a A$ 3.6 million Specialist Capabilities Building facility was opened in southern Tasmania. Police tactical group Each state and territory maintain a PTG able to respond and resolve high-risk incidents across their jurisdiction, and inter-state when required. Police tactical groups are fundamental to

465-402: A contingent by car at 1604 hours. At about 2100 hours, two SOG officers joined the uniform officers in the culvert, and at about 2300 hours, all crawled out about 200 m to safety. Continuous fire came from various directions from Seascape using differing weapons, including weapons the owners possessed, including a 7.62mm SKS assault rifle. A sniper approached to within 75 m of Seascape,

558-873: A cost of approximately $ 400,000 each—one for each state and territory police tactical group. Each year Police Tactical Group operators attend Skills Enhancement Courses with the Tactical Assault Groups of the Special Air Service Regiment and 2nd Commando Regiment . In a 2017 article in the Australian Defence Force Journal , Captain John Sutton argued that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) should be responsible for responding to domestic counter terrorism incidents instead of

651-507: A full-time unit, the SOG had three part-time teams. Two teams were southern based – Alpha team and Bravo team each with eight members, whilst the third, Echo team, with ten members was based in Launceston . Vehicles and equipment were located with each team to provide a more timely response. Each team participated in the on-call roster with this capability maintained every day of the year. The SOG had always struggled to maintain staffing at

744-441: A lapse by the operator to conceal his radio's light exposed his position to Bryant who could see a red light every time he transmitted. Bryant fired at the sniper and he advised the negotiator that he saw police. The SOG thought he may possess night vision, not aware of the lapse to cover the radio light. The SOG believed that in addition to the confirmed hostage that the owner couple were still alive and were hostages. The SOG formed

837-513: A mixture of fear, curiosity and aggression. After several aggressive encounters prompted by bands of Letteremairrener in 1806 , most likely as revenge for the colonists trespassing and hunting on their land without permission, Colonel William Patterson, in charge of the new settlement in Launceston, led a series of putative skirmishes that were ostensibly continued by colonists until 1831. These conflicts intensified from 1827 until 1831 during

930-399: A national tactical unit that can be deployed in any state or territory for Commonwealth offences. A PTG will participate in regular national counter-terrorist exercises (NATEXs) , in which federal and state government agencies practise responses to potential terrorist threats and test the procedures and legislation for Australian Defence Force support to civilian authorities in the event of

1023-517: A perimeter under constant fire. No fire was returned by the SOG due to risk to hostages. Eight officers from the Victoria Police Special Operations Group arrived by two chartered planes at 2300 hours to provide assistance. An immediate action plan was prepared to rescue the three hostages, with an estimated in excess of 30% casualty rate for the operators; no movement by a hostage had been witnessed. A decision

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1116-465: A pre-season cup game at the venue each year since 2006. The record crowd is 8,061. Launceston is not represented by an NRL Football Club, but is expected to be represented by an AFL Team by 2028, as Tasmania was awarded the 19th AFL Licence on 2 May, 2023 when AFL Presidents Unanimously approved the Tasmanian bid Rugby league football is played in the region at junior level and senior level,

1209-412: A result, areas of Launceston are subject to landslip problems, while others are liable to poor drainage and periodic flooding. The topography of the area is not conducive to easy dispersion of airborne pollution, due to the phenomenon of thermal inversion . Since the 1990s, the city's air quality has improved. Studies indicate that 73% percent of air pollution in Launceston and surrounding areas during

1302-508: A service station, taking a male hostage, before returning to Seascape at about 1400 hours. He had killed a further 5 people. The hostage was secured in the house before Bryant set the BMW on fire. Two uniform police arrived, witnessing the BMW alight, and were fired upon taking cover in a culvert. At about 1530 hours, negotiators made contact with Bryant, and at 1537 hours, an SOG contingent departed Hobart, 85 km away, by helicopter together with

1395-492: A specialist police unit trained for counter-terrorist and hostage rescue situations. These units were initially known as a 'police assault group' in line with the Australian Defence Force nomenclature with their then-recently created Tactical Assault Groups . This saw the formalisation of many state and territory tactical units with the standardisation of all police groups in respect to training, equipment and

1488-550: A terrorist attack. Each year as part of the ANZCTC Police Tactical Group Skills Enhancement Course, each state and territory sends several members of its PTG to participate in a concentrated three-week course with the Tactical Assault Groups of the Special Air Service Regiment and 2nd Commando Regiment to strengthen standards of policing in urban counter-terrorist tactics and ensure all states are training consistently to

1581-492: A two-week training course and an eight-day refresher course annually. The SOG roles are: Volunteers for the SOG need to successfully complete a one-week selection course, and if successful, must then successfully complete an 8-week training course. Training includes weapons skills, close quarter tactics, room clearances, method of entry (buildings / doors), less lethal options (including CS gas , Taser and Bean bag rounds ), rural and urban tactics, water operations (including

1674-506: A venue for international sports events, and in 2005 was redeveloped at a cost of $ 23.6 million. Association football (commonly known in Launceston as "soccer") is also played and watched in Launceston [York Park]—the only place in Tasmania to have hosted national league soccer matches. A National Soccer League game was held at Aurora Stadium in 2002 between Perth Glory and Melbourne Knights . A-League 's Melbourne Victory have held

1767-591: A warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csb ), with mild to warm, somewhat dry summers and cool damp winters with chilly nights. The city is located in the Tamar Valley and is surrounded by many large hills and mountains. With this type of topography, Launceston's weather patterns can change considerably in a short period. The warmest months are in January and February with an average air temperature range of 12.2 to 24.4 °C (54 to 76 °F). Throughout

1860-444: A year. The coldest month is July, with an average temperature range of 2.2 to 12.5 °C (36 to 55 °F). The lowest recorded minimum at Launceston's current weather station, Ti Tree Bend was −5.2 °C (22.6 °F) on 21 July 1991. Launceston very rarely receives snowfall , with snow falling in 1951 and 1986, and again on 3 August 2015, when most of the state received snowfall due to a cold front moving up from Antarctica . On

1953-460: Is 665 mm (26 in), falling on an average of 88.4 days a year. The most rain Ti Tree Bend has received in a year was 829.6 millimetres (32.66 in) in 1992, though Launceston Airport received 953.1 millimetres (37.52 in) in 1956. As in most of Tasmania 2006 was the driest year when just 394.8 millimetres (15.54 in) fell. The Bureau of Meteorology reported that 2007

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2046-560: Is Launceston's 300-bed public hospital, located just south of the city centre. Every year, LGH treats over 24,000 inpatients and over 225,000 outpatients. St Lukes Private Hospital and St Vincent's Hospital are the major private facilities. Launceston was also the location of the first use of anaesthesia in the Southern Hemisphere. Launceston is also the hub for the state's medical retrieval service. The Royal Flying Doctor Service supplies an aircraft and pilots under contract to

2139-597: Is a city in the north of Tasmania , Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launceston urban area has a population of 90,953. Launceston is the second most populous city in Tasmania after the state capital, Hobart . Launceston is the fifth-largest inland city and the ninth-largest non-capital city in Australia. Launceston

2232-463: Is a popular recreational and spectator activity in Launceston and like most of the state, cricket and Australian rules football are popular sports. The city has been the birthplace of two prominent Australian cricketers; the former Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting and the retired cricketer and Australian selector David Boon . The first first-class cricket match played in Australia

2325-765: Is also called the Division of Bass , and is one of the five electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly . Both federal and state seats share common boundaries. The Launceston flag design is based on the city's Coat of Arms granted by the College of Arms , Seoul on 11 June 1957. The Brisbane Street Mall, the War memorial at Royal Park, atop the Council Chambers and on top of the Albert Hall are places in

2418-1137: Is currently owned by Nine Entertainment Co (Nine having merged with Fairfax Media in 2018). Another local media site is The Tasmanian Times . Along with the rest of the state, the city has four free-to-air television stations, including two government funded channels from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) and two commercial stations; ( Southern Cross Seven ( 7HD ) & WIN ( 9HD ) These services are available in digital format as well as eleven digital-only stations, one carrying Network 10 programming ( Tasmanian Digital Television ( 10 HD ), and nationwide digital-only stations ABC TV Plus / ABC Kids , ABC ME and ABC News (on ABC), SBS Viceland , SBS Food and NITV (on SBS), 7two and 7mate (on SC Seven), 9Gem , 9Go! and 9Life (on WIN), and 10 Bold , 10 Peach and 10 Shake (on TDT). Radio stations aired around Launceston are: LAFM and Chilli FM – part of

2511-655: Is deployed in high risk situations and in other approved circumstances approved by an Assistant Commissioner. The SOG has its origins in the Armed Offenders Squad formed in 1978, that was subsequently renamed the Special Weapons Squad by 1985 and was renamed to the Special Operations Group between 1988 and 1991. In July 1991, a SOG sniper fatally shot Vietnam war veteran Joseph Gilewicz near Pelverata. On 28 April 1996,

2604-553: Is jointly funded by the federal government and the respective state or territory government. The Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC) defines a police tactical group as a highly trained police unit that tactically manages and resolves high-risk incidents, including terrorist incidents. Generally, the majority of a police tactical group's planned operations and call-outs are not related to terrorism, but consist of responding to high-risk incidents such as sieges or executing high-risk search warrants which are beyond

2697-495: Is known for its wildlife conservation work, including a breeding program for Tasmanian devils , is located near the city. Launceston's Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery was established in 1891. Now the largest museum located outside a capital city in Australia, the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery is located at two sites across the city: the original purpose-built building at Royal Park and another at

2790-628: Is now located was previously occupied by the Aboriginal Tasmanian Letteremairrener people. The Letteremairrener country encompasses most of the Tamar Valley region. In 1804, reports from early European voyagers describe a number of Letteremairrener camps, consisting of up to ten bark huts located on either side of the Tamar River. Extensive archeological evidence suggests that occupation and usage of

2883-626: Is regarded as the most livable regional city, and was one of the most popular regional cities to move to in Australia from 2020 to 2021. Launceston was named Australian Town of the Year in 2022. Settled by Europeans in March 1806, Launceston is one of Australia's oldest cities and it has many historic buildings. Like many places in Australia, it was named after a town in the United Kingdom – in this case, Launceston, Cornwall . Launceston also had

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2976-693: Is situated at the confluence of the South Esk River and the North Esk River , forming the Tamar River estuary . It is used for commercial and recreational shipping and boating. In earlier years, oceangoing shipping used the river to obtain access to the Port of Launceston wharves located in the city centre and Invermay. The Port for Launceston is now located at the George Town suburb of Bell Bay , some 40 kilometres (25 mi) downstream on

3069-631: Is sourced from St Patricks River, a tributary of the North Esk River which flows through Launceston. The main retailer is Ben Lomond Water. The first reticulated water supply constructed in 1857 still serves the CBD. There were fears that the Tamar Valley Pulp Mill might adversely affect Launceston's water supply. Like many Australian cities, several major companies provide mobile telecommunications services and wireless internet services to Launceston. Launceston's communication infrastructure

3162-483: Is the origin of 25% of all international visitors to the city and 17% originate from the United States. The Cataract Gorge is Launceston's largest tourist attraction and is in close proximity to the city centre. It is home to the longest single span chairlift in the world, stretching 308 metres (1,010 ft) across the gorge. Launceston has many parks throughout the city including City Park , located next to

3255-431: The 2021 census the population of Launceston is 76,849. Launceston is the 21st most populous city in Australia. Launceston's designation as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2021 signifies global acknowledgment of this gastronomic paradise. Launceston is at 41°26′31″S 147°8′42″E  /  41.44194°S 147.14500°E  / -41.44194; 147.14500 in the Tamar Valley, Northern Tasmania. The valley

3348-674: The Cataract Gorge . The river is dammed at Lake Trevallyn on the upper reaches of the Cataract Gorge, with water being diverted into the Trevallyn Power Station with runoff flowing into the remainder of the Cataract Gorge and eventually merging with the Tamar River. The North Esk River starts in the Northallerton Valley in Tasmania's north-east mountains and winds its way to Launceston via

3441-487: The Grant Broadcasters radio network, TOTE Sport Radio – Racing Radio, Triple J – ABC , ABC Northern Tasmania – (ABC), ABC NewsRadio – (ABC), ABC Classic FM – (ABC), Radio National – (ABC), City Park Radio – Community Radio , SBS Radio – (SBS), Way FM – Christian Radio - LCFM Launceston colleges radio station and 7RPH which is a relay of 864 AM from Hobart. Launceston General Hospital

3534-692: The Inveresk Cultural Precinct , on the grounds of the former railway station and rail yards in buildings largely converted from the former Railway Workshops. The precinct also includes the Launceston Tramway Museum, which houses the No. 29 tram, the 'Mary St' shelter shed and a host of other memorabilia. The state's largest preservation railway, the Don River Railway , also has a carriage rebuilding workshop on

3627-671: The St Kilda Football Club played two games a year between 2003 and 2006. In 2007, the Tasmanian Government signed a A$ 16.4 million, five-year sponsorship deal with the Hawthorn Football Club , under which the club will play four regular season games and one National Australia Bank Cup pre-season match at the venue each year. Throughout its history, York Park has hosted major pop concerts and other entertainments. Since 2001 it has been

3720-1133: The Tasmania Police Special Operations Group . The Australian PTGs undertake training with their New Zealand counterpart, the Special Tactics Group . Australian police taking part in a sniping course in Christchurch responded to the Christchurch mosques terrorist attack providing first aid to the victims and carried firearms for self protection. Police Tactical Groups are responsible for (amongst other): Specialist positions include snipers, method-of-entry specialists, explosive breachers, tactical swimmers, tactical ropers, tactical coxswains, medics and advanced drivers. All groups are jointly funded and equipped by both their respective state or territory police and federal government. Federal government funding allows purchases for more expensive equipment such as Lenco BearCat armoured rescue vehicles. The Australian Government has purchased eight ‘BearCats’ at

3813-660: The University of Tasmania including the Australian Maritime College and also has a minor minerals and manufacturing base. Launceston is a major hub for the regional agricultural and pastoral activities. Historically, this has been connected with the growing of apples – in recent years the stress has moved to viticulture . Superfine wool remains an important part of the rural economy of north-east Tasmania and wool sales in Launceston attract many international buyers. The various agricultural industries in

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3906-781: The West Tamar Council ; Prospect Vale and Blackstone Heights are included in the Meander Valley Council . Launceston City Council meetings are held in the Launceston Town Hall. The Mayor of the City of Launceston uses the honorific the Right Worshipful . In 2002, Janie Dickenson became the youngest female elected mayor in Australia. The current mayor is Matthew Garwood, elected in 2023. The first previous mayor, Albert Van Zetten ,

3999-649: The federal government's National Counter-Terrorism Plan (NCTP) to respond to major terrorist incidents in Australia. The plan initially developed in 1980, then known as the National Anti-Terrorism Plan, is overseen by the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee ( ANZCTC ). The plan requires each state and territory police to maintain a police tactical unit designated as a police tactical group (previously police assault group) which

4092-557: The 1860s. Not long beforehand, Tasmania played Victoria in Australia's first first-class cricket match at the NTCA Ground in 1851. Tin was discovered at Mount Bischoff in 1871 in north-western Tasmania, starting a minerals boom. Gold mining commenced about 50 kilometres (31 mi) away in Beaconsfield in 1877. During the following two decades Launceston grew from a small town into an urban centre. In 1889, Launceston

4185-692: The Boys' Orphan School in Hobart in 1832. Newer popular team sports such as cricket and football failed to be sustained in Launceston before the population grew substantially. The sports were initially middle class recreations, as the working class found it difficult to participate after a six-day working week. Nevertheless, a "demand for facilities" led to the upgrade of the Northern Tasmanian Cricket Association Ground (NTCA Ground) among other sporting facilities in

4278-770: The Breath of Life Festival from 2012 to 2014, a similar event held at the Inveresk show grounds to raise funds for lung cancer research. Launceston is also the host of the Junction Arts Festival. The Junction Arts Festival was first held in 2010, and spans five days in the Launceston CBD each year. The Festival program changes each year, and includes various art forms, including music, dance, visual and interactive art, short films and live performances, from local, national and international artists. Sport

4371-787: The CBD, the former Star Theatre in Invermay and the former Launceston General Hospital) give the city an unusual period ambience. 20th century examples of architecture that are part of the city include the Government offices of Henty House in Charles Street, the Police Station Building and the ANZ Building on the corner of Brisbane & George Street. This is at least in part a matter of deliberate policy – concerns that high rise development might compromise

4464-526: The Corra Linn Gorge at White Hills . The St Patrick's River, the largest tributary of the North Esk, is dammed at Nunamara to provide the majority of Launceston's town water since the mid-1800s. Since the 1960s, parts of Launceston have been protected by a series of flood levees that reach up to 4 metres (13 ft) in height as large portions of the suburbs Invermay and Newstead sit within

4557-779: The Launceston Warriors play in the Tasmanian Rugby League and were minor premiers in the 2012–2013 season. Since 2004, the V8 Supercars (Tasmanian Challenge) has been annually held at the recently re-developed Symmons Plains Raceway , which is around 30 km south of Launceston. Marcos Ambrose, driver of the number 9 Richard Petty Motorsports car is most likely America's most notable Launceston native. A number of other sports have notable presence in Launceston, including basketball (men's, women's and indoor) and hockey . In 2009 Launceston redeveloped

4650-548: The SOG responded to the Port Arthur massacre ; gunman Martin Bryant , who was intellectually disabled and mentally ill, was reported to have killed over 30 people. The active shooter was in possession of a 5.56mm AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a 7.62mm FN FAL semi-automatic rifle with large quantities of ammunition. On the morning of Sunday the 28th, Bryant travelled to Seascape, a tourist accommodation facility, and killed

4743-548: The Tamar basin can be dated from at least 7,000 years ago, although it was likely used as long as 35,000 years ago. The Letteremairrener , as seasonal hunter-gatherers, spent the winter months near George Town and the summer months residing on Ben Lomond, before returning to the banks of the Tamar River for the mutton-bird season. Campbell Macknight characterizes early colonial contact with the Letteremairrener people as

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4836-559: The area of Launceston were largely nomadic Aboriginal Tasmanians believed to have been part of the Northern Midlands Nations. Three Nations made up the area around so called Launceston, the Stoney Creek Nation, Tyerenotepanner; Panninher and Lettermairrener. The first white explorers did not arrive until 1798, when George Bass and Matthew Flinders were sent to explore the possibility that there

4929-537: The buildings in the city's central business district (CBD) were constructed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and Launceston is a major location of Federation style housing. Launceston's many well preserved Victorian and Georgian buildings (including the Launceston synagogue , a rare example of architecture in Egyptian Revival style) together with its diverse collection of art-deco architecture (such as Holyman House and Lucks Corner in

5022-485: The character of the city centre have led to strictly enforced building regulations that restrict the height of new structures in the city, so that most buildings in the CBD have fewer than five storeys. Much of Launceston is contained within the City of Launceston local government area , although some outer suburbs are part of adjacent council districts: for instance Riverside , Legana and parts of Trevallyn are part of

5115-410: The city centre. City Park is home to Albert Hall. The park also has a large enclosure for Japanese macaque monkeys , a gift from sister city Ikeda , Japan. The Launceston General Post Office is a heritage-listed building that dates back to the 1880s, with a clock tower added in the early twentieth century. The GPO clock chime chimes every quarter-hour, twenty-four hours a day. Tasmania Zoo , which

5208-406: The city where the flag is regularly flown. Flying the flag is restricted to Council Property. The three intersecting lines in the flag represent the city's three rivers (North Esk, South Esk and Tamar) and the two rectangles in the lines represent tin ingots. The strip across the top with the jagged edge is green to represent the city's parks, gardens and surrounding countryside. Waratah flowers at

5301-438: The city's swimming facilities which now include a modern indoor multimillion-dollar swimming centre at windmill hill, now named Launceston Aquatic . The city co-hosted the basketball FIBA Oceania Championship 1975 , where the Australian national basketball team won the gold medal. Launceston's local newspaper The Examiner was founded by James Aikenhead in 1842, and has been continually published ever since. The newspaper

5394-411: The couple who owned the bed and breakfast. Shortly afterwards, he drove a short distance to Port Arthur , a popular tourist attraction, and started shooting people at around 1330 hours. Uniform police, some distance away, were dispatched at 1335. Bryant had killed 27 people changing between rifles. He left Port Arthur at about 1345 hours, carjacking a BMW at the entrance, and later stopped a Toyota exiting

5487-406: The desired level of response. In 2001, SAC-PAV was renamed to the National Counter-Terrorism Committee and in 2012, with New Zealand joining, to the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC). The primary providers of law enforcement in Australia are the federal state and territories. PTGs are police tactical units established to respond to high-risk situations which are beyond

5580-459: The district are supported by the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research which operates the Mount Pleasant Research Laboratories in the Launceston suburb of Prospect. Launceston serves as the commercial hub for the north of Tasmania, and like many parts of the state, is becoming a major tourist centre. Visitors to the city have grown over the past few years : during 2004 Launceston attracted 412,800 visitors, up 51% from 2001. The United Kingdom

5673-428: The east bank of the Tamar estuary, close to the river mouth. The South Esk River is the longest river in Tasmania. It starts in the North East Mountains near Roses Tier and flows through the Fingal Valley where it passes through the towns of Fingal and Avoca before flowing into the Northern Midlands where it flows through the towns of Evandale , Perth , Longford and Hadspen before finally reaching Launceston via

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5766-452: The fast response vessel), fast roping / helicopter training, surveillance and many other related disciplines. 45 training days are allocated a year to maintain these skills and there is participation in the ANZCTC Police Tactical Group Skills Enhancement Courses with the 2nd Command Regiment and Special Air Service Regiment . The ABC documentary television series Australian Story screened an episode A Few Good Men in March 2000 on

5859-409: The fire as there was no evidence of smoke inhalation. In the 2013–14 year , the SOG conducted eight high risk deployments which had by 2017–18 increased by 150% to 20 high-risk deployments. On 8 December 2018, the SOG tactically resolved a 16 hour siege at a residence in Trevallyn in which at least 33 shots were fired from the residence arresting a man and a woman. Prior to 2024 when the SOG became

5952-458: The first use of anaesthetic in the Southern Hemisphere , it was the first Australian city to have underground sewers , and it was the first Australian city to be lit by hydroelectricity . The city has a maritime climate with four distinct seasons and is appreciably warmer than the south of the island during summer. Local government is split between the City of Launceston , Meander Valley and West Tamar Councils . The first inhabitants of

6045-699: The islands of Bass Strait early in the 19th century. They also took whalers to the coast of Victoria in the 1820s and 1830s where they established temporary bay whaling stations. Some of these temporary communities, such as the ones at Portland Bay and Port Fairy , were the forerunner of permanent settlement of those places. Expeditions from Launceston were involved in the Foundation of Melbourne . Walter George Arthur, who petitioned Queen Victoria in 1847 while interned with other Aboriginal Tasmanians on Flinders Island , lived for several years in Launceston as one of numerous homeless children, before being taken into custody by George Augustus Robinson who sent him to

6138-419: The national recommended minimum due to the small size of Tasmania Police providing a limited pool for SOG recruiting. There had been calls to make the SOG full-time. In 2003, ten SOG officers positions were converted to full-time to establish a full-time team to augment the twenty part-time SOG officers. In 2007, the full-time team's role changed to administrative tasked with coordinating training and equipment and

6231-450: The night of 4 August 2020, Launceston received an inch of snow on the ground, with varying levels around the state. Winter, for Launceston, is also the season with the least amount of wind. Because of this and the topographical effect of the Tamar Valley, Launceston winters are renowned for foggy mornings, with Launceston Airport the most fog-bound commercial airport in Australia. The average annual rainfall, with moderate to low variability,

6324-458: The period of the Black War , with genocidal expeditions occurring within the Letteremairrener country and neighbouring areas. By 1827, Launceston's population had climbed to 2,000 and the town had become an export centre, mainly for the colony's northern pastoral industry. Small hotels and breweries began to emerge in the 1820s before larger, more "substantial" hotels were built in the 1830s. Ships from Launceston carried parties of sealers to

6417-453: The police tactical groups. Sutton raised concerns that military-style training and collaboration with the ADF by police tactical groups could filter down to general duties officers. However, the article also raised concerns that if the ADF was given powers to respond to domestic counter terrorism incidents those powers may be abused by the ADF. Launceston, Tasmania Launceston ( / ˈ l ɒ n s ɛ s t ən / )

6510-421: The same codes and standards of counter-terrorism. PTG training is doctrinated, structured and set to a national standard which reduces inconsistent and fragmented training practices. These are designed to allow national interoperability of the PTGs if required. An example of such interoperability was the Port Arthur massacre in which the Victoria Police Special Operations Group deployed to Tasmania to assist

6603-402: The scope and capabilities of other police units in their state or territory. State and territory police maintained 'tactical' or 'emergency' squads consisting of officers trained to use specialist equipment and weapons as far back as 1945, although known by varying names. These quadss consisted mainly of detectives and had limited capability and funding. The 1978 Sydney Hilton bombing , where

6696-499: The scope or capacity of everyday policing. PTG officers directly support operational police in incidents such as sieges with specialist tactical, negotiation, intelligence and command support services. Each PTG conducts its own training, has the opportunity to train in inter-state courses and may train internationally and are able to be deployed by air, via waterways, using armoured vehicles and motorcycles if needed. The Australian Federal Police who enforce Commonwealth (Federal) law has

6789-525: The selection and training course. The SOG is equipped with less-than-lethal equipment that is not issued to general duties officers including the Taser . In June 2012, the SOG took delivery of a Lenco BearCat replacing their Mercedes-Benz Sprinter based Armoured Tactical Vehicle (ATV) acquired in 2006. In May 2019, the government allocated A$ 400,000 in the 2019–20 State Budget for new equipment with A$ 100,000 allocated each year over four years. In March 2022,

6882-728: The settlement was moved across the river to York Town , and a year later was moved to its definitive position where Launceston stands. Initially, the settlement was called Patersonia; however, Paterson later changed the name to Launceston in honour of the New South Wales Governor Captain Philip Gidley King , who was born in Launceston, Cornwall . The name still survives in the tiny hamlet of Patersonia 18 kilometres (11 mi) north-east of Launceston. Paterson himself also served as Lieutenant-Governor of northern Van Diemen's Land from 1804 to 1808. The geographical area in which Launceston

6975-542: The site. Australia's oldest bookshop, A.W. Birchall & Sons (Birchalls) dating from November 1844, was closed in 2017 Located in the Southern Launceston suburb of Prospect , the Country Club Casino is a hotel, casino and golf course complex. It was the second casino to be built in Tasmania and one of the first in Australia. Launceston Aquatic , a $ 26.3 million regional aquatic centre

7068-410: The south side of Lindsay Street in Invermay, with businesses having until July 2009 to leave. In 2016 the Tamar River flooded resulting in the widespread flooding of low lying suburbs. The St Leonards and West Tamar Highways were temporarily closed as water levels rose, causing significant disruption to the city and loss of livestock. Launceston has an oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ), bordering on

7161-522: The state's ambulance service and the aircraft (a Beechcraft Super King Air ) is staffed by Ambulance Tasmania's Intensive Care Paramedics and doctors from the Launceston General Hospital. Launceston's electricity is primarily generated by renewable hydro electric power plants including the Trevallyn Power Station which is supplied with water from Trevallyn Dam . The major retailer is Aurora Energy . Historically, Launceston

7254-407: The top symbolise all flowers and similar beauties of nature. The ingots are included because Launceston used to be a large tin-smelting centre. The little circle at the river junction is Launceston. Along with being a major retail centre with an average of 75% of market share in surrounding local councils, Launceston is a major service centre for the north of Tasmania. The city is home to a campus of

7347-524: The winter period is caused by wood smoke, while about 8% is from motor vehicle pollution. During the early 1990s about 60% of households used wood heaters, but since the mid-2000s only 25–30% of households use wood heating. According to the 2011 Tasmanian Air Monitoring report, particulate matter met the Air NEPM goals starting in 2006, and did not exceed the PM10 standard in the years 2009–2011. Launceston

7440-473: The year there is an average of 4.3 days a year over 30 °C (86 °F). The maximum recorded temperature was 39 °C (102 °F) on 30 January 2009, with Launceston Airport reaching 40.4 °C (105 °F) on that same day, during the 2009 Southeastern Australia heat wave . The city averages 67.3 clear days and 148.8 cloudy days per annum. Winters are cool with minimum temperatures dropping below 2 °C (36 °F) an average of 61 days

7533-563: Was a strait between Australia and Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania). They originally landed in Port Dalrymple (the mouth of the Tamar River), 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the north-west of Launceston. The first significant colonial settlement in the region dates from 1804, when the commandant of the colonial garrison. Lt. Col. William Paterson , and his men set up a camp on the current site of George Town . A few weeks later,

7626-798: Was at the Northern Tasmania Cricket Association Ground between the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Launceston Cricket Club in 1851. Australian rules football is very popular in Launceston, and is often played at York Park (University of Tasmania Stadium). Holding 20,000 people—more than any other stadium in Tasmania—York Park was swampland before becoming Launceston's showgrounds in 1873. Hawthorn has played between two and five AFL matches each season since 2001, and

7719-630: Was completed in 1895 (the first municipally owned power station in the Southern Hemisphere). Until the 1950s when Trevallyn Power Station was built, Duck Reach supplied Launceston with most of its power needs – it is now an interpretive historic site. The former Gas Works currently houses the Launceston Hogsbreath Cafe. Launceston's water comes from the Launceston Water Catchment. The majority

7812-597: Was completed in July 2009. The site, just outside the central business district spans about 6,450 square metres (69,400 sq ft). From 1999 to 2003, Launceston was the site of three of the four Gone South music festivals. From 2006 to 2011, it hosted the MS Fest , a music festival held at the Inveresk Show grounds each summer to raise funds for multiple sclerosis research. This has since been replaced with

7905-421: Was downsized to four officers to be ultimately ended in 2012. In 2018, the government announced funding would be provided to re-establish a full-time core SOG, and in 2019, announced that four SOG officers positions would be converted to full-time in 2020. In November 2020, the government announced funding for a further twenty full time SOG officers, whose initial duties will also include COVID-19 response. The SOG

7998-498: Was formed by volcanic and glacial forces over 10 million years ago. The city is about 45 kilometres (28 mi) south of the Bass Strait , with its closest neighbour-city being Devonport , about 99 kilometres (62 mi) to the north west. Launceston combines steep (originally heavily wooded) ridges and low-lying areas (originally wetlands – with parts of the suburbs of Inveresk and Invermay below high-tide level). As

8091-575: Was initially elected in 2007, before being re-elected in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2018. State Upper House seats that incorporate parts of Launceston are the Electoral Divisions of Paterson , Windermere and Rosevears . For federal elections, Launceston falls within the Division of Bass , with the sitting member being Bridget Archer for the Liberal Party of Australia , who won the seat in the 2019 election. The state Lower House seat

8184-468: Was made to wait it out, and between 0400 and 0600 hours, there was a lull in the shooting. At about 0745 hours, Seascape was set on fire, and at about 0825 hours, Bryant ran out on fire and unarmed and was immediately arrested. Nearly 200 rounds had been fired from Seascape. After the fire, the body of the hostage from the Toyota was located in the building with fatal gunshot injuries who had been killed before

8277-682: Was planned to have twenty dedicated officers by 2024 based in Hobart and Launceston. In August 2024, the government announced that the SOG had transitioned into a full-time unit. When the SOG was a part-time unit it was assisted by the SOG Support Unit, formerly the Cordon and Containment Team, that was formed in 2009 to provide additional support for the SOG with holding a close cordon at a high-risk incident in an urban environment and assisting marksmen in rural environments. Team members completed

8370-651: Was powered by gas from the Launceston Gas Company , (later Gas Corporation of Tasmania). In 1988 it was sold to Boral . The first gas plant was built in 1860 as a horizontal retort Gas Works house made from brick and sandstone on the site's SW corner. This was followed by keepers cottages, labs, the Headquarters Building and the iconic 1930s vertical retort recognised by the wording "COOK WITH GAS" written in its brickwork. The Duck Reach Power Station replaced gas for street lighting when it

8463-435: Was the second town in Tasmania to be declared a city, after state capital Hobart . During the late 1880s, a small periodical called Launceston Literary contained stories as well as memoirs of the pioneering days of the region. The publication was distributed from a store in the northern end of the town, and while largely forgotten today, was at the time considered relatively popular, if at times controversial. According to

8556-424: Was the warmest year ever recorded in Launceston since temperatures were first recorded in 1884. Temperatures ranged from a minimum of 8.1 °C (46.6 °F) to a maximum of 19.2 °C (66.6 °F). During 2006 and 2007, Launceston had the hottest maxima throughout the state. In 2008, Launceston had the highest average maximum temperature out of all Tasmanian cities with 18.6 °C (65.5 °F). Many of

8649-601: Was upgraded in 1997 through the federal "Networking the Nation" program. Beginning in 2010, the National Broadband Network began installation of fire optic cables in Launceston. In 2016, Launceston became the first city in Tasmania to be fully connected to the NBN. The car is by far the most dominant form of transport in Launceston, with the city having 721 km of urban and rural roads, even though much of

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