The SOG has always struggled to maintain staffing at the national recommended minimum due to the small size of Tasmania Police providing a limited pool for SOG recruiting. There has 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 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 will have twenty dedicated officers by 2024 based in Hobart and Launceston.
