New Zealand terrorist attack: Why didn’t the Special Air Service respond?

The massacre that took place in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, invites questions about the country’s counterterrorism (CT) response. Who is responsible for dealing with such situations? Why wasn’t the elite New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) called in? In this article, we break down the country’s different units in an attempt to answer these questions.

The New Zealand CT response has three layers. The first layer is made up of the Armed Offenders Squads (AOS), which are part-time law enforcement units manned by New Zealand police officers from throughout the force. There are approximately 17 AOS teams divided across the country’s major population centers. Each AOS is comprised of between 15 and 30 operators and is supported by negotiation experts. The AOS are very much reactive in nature given their part-time function. For instance, in the case of a terrorist attack, AOS operators would have to abandon their normal duties, report back to their HQ, and then respond to the incident. In counterterrorism and active-shooter scenarios, where time is of the essence, their response time would be excruciatingly slow. During the Christchurch mosque attacks, the local AOS operators were the first responders, but unfortunately were too late to be of any use.

The second layer is made up of the Special Tactics Group (STG). This is a full-time unit with national authority. STG operators respond to armed incidents, active-shooter cases, and terrorism scenarios that are outside the capabilities of the AOS. STG teams are also responsible for providing close protection to VIPs. Whereas the AOS is more focused on containing high-risk situations, the STG is focused on resolving them. For example, if the gunman in the Christchurch mosque attacks had barricaded himself inside the mosque and taken hostages, the AOS teams would cordon the area while the STG would storm in. STG operators have also been deployed overseas in support of major international events (for example, the G-20 summit). According to the New Zealand government, the STG was deployed 84 times in 2018, whereas the AOS deployed 961 times, highlighting their different roles.