National Counter Terrorist Exercise - Sydney
Release date: 25 November 2008
13:30
A major national counter-terrorism exercise has commenced in Sydney today and will conclude tomorrow (Wednesday 26 November).
‘Sudden Impact’ is an Investigation and Consequence Management Exercise (ICMEX) involving the New South Wales Police Force and Australian Government agencies.
Investigation and Consequence Management Exercises are a single jurisdiction exercise designed to engage decision-makers from agencies with a national security interest in counter-terrorism arrangements.
The exercise is jointly sponsored by the Commonwealth and State Governments and will test both state and national capabilities to respond to a terrorist incident.
Acting NSW Police Force Commissioner Nick Kaldas said the exercise is part of a series of counter-terrorism activities held regularly in each of the states and territories.
“This exercise will give us the opportunity to further test our response arrangements through a range of activities but, unlike exercises in recent years, the public will not see heavily armed police or emergency service vehicles with their lights flashing and racing to a location.
“Exercise Sudden Impact is based around an explosion at a transport interchange and how police and emergency services respond, but importantly, also how we forensically investigate these incidents.
“Our objectives for this exercise include evaluating the real time activation of the NSW Counter Terrorism arrangements, the NSW Command and Control arrangements, the activation of the NSW investigation arrangements – ‘Strike Force Eagle’ – and the forensic investigation of crime scenes where explosives have been detonated.
“We’re also taking the opportunity to activate investigation reception points, and establish on site mass casualty triage,” Acting Commissioner Kaldas said.
Participants will include specialist sections of NSW Police Force, NSW Fire Brigades, NSW Ambulance Service, the State Emergency Service, NSW Health Department, the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, as well as Australian Government Departments including the Australian Defence Force, Attorney General’s Department, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Prime Minister and Cabinet, and ASIO.
Exercise Sudden Impact is the NSW commitment to the ongoing testing and refinement of counter terrorism arrangements.
‘Sudden Impact’ will be conducted at Holsworthy Army Base and the State Operations Centre within the Sydney Police Centre at Surry Hills.
Acting Commissioner Kaldas, the NSW representative on the National Counter-Terrorist Committee, said varying the exercise scenarios and exercise objectives provided the NSW Police Force and NSW Government the opportunity to validate the arrangements among participating agencies.
“In previous years we have tested the way we resolved situations such as hostages in vehicles, explosive devices near buildings and incidents on trains and planes,” he said.
“This particular scenario has officers dealing with several dynamic situations which require the deployment of specialist resources and investigators to respond to an incident, as well as the police and emergency service organisations to manage the consequences which follow,” Acting Commissioner Kaldas said.
Acting Commissioner Kaldas said the establishment and development of a number of units and initiatives within the Counter-Terrorist and Special Tactics Command in recent years had added another effective tool in the NSW Police Force arsenal in the fight against terrorism.
For more information on counter terrorism policy, legislation, and activities for businesses and communities, visit secure.nsw.gov.au
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Issued by NSW Police Force Media Unit (02) 8263 6100
Authorised by (Acting Commissioner Nick Kaldas)(Assistant Commissioner Dein)