The CIRT concept was similar to the United Kingdom police armed response vehicle (ARV) that patrols ready to respond to provide specialist assistance. A CIRT unit became known as a Van due to their use of this vehicle similar to use of the acronym ARV. This concept was first considered by Victoria Police during the review of the Special Operations Group as part of Project Beacon conducted in 1995. Each CIRT consisted of a Sergeant and three other officers, one of whom was a trained negotiator. In 2010, three "Van"s were operated providing a third team.