Australian Police Plan to Form a Heavily Armed Team in Response to Bondi Beach Massacre
NSW Police conceded it skipped a risk assessment and rejected static officers despite warnings from Jewish security group CSG.
- A NSW Police officer admitted during public hearings that no risk assessment was prepared for the Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach where 15 people were killed on December 14, 2025, though the officer agreed in hindsight that one would have been appropriate.
- CSG, a Jewish private security group, had requested static police officers at the event before the attack, providing NSW Police their own threat assessment warning of heightened risk of violent or antisemitic incidents at Hanukkah, but NSW Police declined and deployed mobile taskings instead.
- Intelligence agencies had raised the national terrorism threat level to probable in August 2024 amid escalating antisemitic violence, with ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess warning that antisemitism escalated from threats to direct targeting of people and places of worship from late 2024.
- Assistant Commissioner Leanne McCusker stated 'I see no reason why a threat assessment could not be completed for that event,' while the officer defended the mobile approach, arguing static officers would have limited environmental awareness.
- The Royal Commission's interim recommendations call for heightened security at Jewish events and improved counter-terror cooperation, as Commissioner Virginia Bell reported Jewish witnesses faced online intimidation after testifying, with the inquiry's final report due December 2026.
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45 Articles
Australian police plan heavily armed rapid response team after Bondi Beach massacre
Melbourne, Australia: An Australian state police force has moved to establish a heavily armed rapid response team after gunmen killed 15 people and wounded three police officers, who were armed only with handguns, at a Sydney Hanukkah celebration in December.The police force has responded with a plan to establish an Armed Response Command, equipped with semi-automatic rifles, and by reviving a priority resourced operation focused on antisemitic …
Associated Press News
Australian police plan to form a heavily armed team in response to Bondi Beach massacre
An Australian government inquiry has heard that a state police force has worked to form a heavily armed rapid response team since the Bondi Beach shooting.
Antisemitism royal commission LIVE: Top cop says some agencies ‘not forthcoming’ on intelligence sharing
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion continues its second set of hearings on Wednesday, examining issues in the lead up to the mass shooting at Bondi Beach.
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