Armed Police Begin Patrolling Sydney Streets After Bondi Beach Attack
Heavily armed police officers have begun patrolling the streets of Sydney, Australia. The patrols were launched as part of heightened security measures following last year's deadly shooting at Bondi Beach.
The new initiative is called the Armed Response Command (ARC). Under it, specially trained officers will patrol busy tourist areas carrying long-arm rifles — an unfamiliar sight for most residents.
New South Wales Police said the officers will also patrol major events such as sports matches and places of worship 'to prevent, deter and rapidly respond to serious threats, including active armed offender incidents'.
In December, two gunmen opened fire on an event at the popular beach marking the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, killing 15 people including a 10-year-old girl.
The attack was Australia's worst mass shooting in almost three decades. It prompted sweeping gun law reforms and a crackdown on hate speech.
One resident told ABC News the sight of armed police was 'unnerving', saying: 'They are just everywhere. Those guns are huge.' But another woman told the broadcaster that seeing police with weapons made her feel safe.
New South Wales Police said in a statement that ARC is specifically designed to be 'highly visible across Sydney, driving specialist vehicles and carrying rifles'. Detective Superintendent Andrew Evans said its role 'is built on a simple principle — preserving life'.
The December 14 shooting put huge pressure on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government, with calls for immediate action on antisemitism. Jewish communities have welcomed the new police operation, which will eventually consist of 250 officers, but others have called for safeguards to protect human rights.
Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said: 'No Australian wants to see officers with military weapons on our streets, but the sight of body bags is far worse.'
Amnesty International Australia, however, expressed concern about the 'militarisation of policing' and asked the state government for assurances that ARC will not be used to suppress peaceful protests. The organisation's Andrew Witheford said any expansion of police powers must be accompanied by clear, publicly accessible rules, robust independent oversight and accountability.
The New South Wales administration defended the new measures. The state's Police Minister Yasmin Catley told the ABC: 'Our world changed forever. That's just the truth of it, right across this country. And I said it at the time, we will never be the same again.'
One of the alleged gunmen, Naveed Akram, has been charged with 78 offences including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. His father, Sajid Akram, 50, who also fired at the crowd on Bondi Beach, was killed by police at the scene.
