Heavily Armed Police Begin Sydney Patrols in Wake of Bondi Beach Channukah Attack

Heavily armed police officers began patrolling Sydney's streets on Sunday, nearly 11 months after the December 14, 2025 terrorist attack on a Channukah celebration at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl.

The new Armed Response Command, known as ARC, will eventually number 250 specially trained officers carrying long-arm rifles in busy tourist areas, at major events such as sports matches, and outside places of worship. New South Wales Police said the unit's role is "to prevent, deter and rapidly respond to serious threats, including active armed offender incidents."

The Bondi Beach attack, Australia's worst mass shooting in nearly three decades, prompted sweeping gun law reforms and a national crackdown on hate speech, and intensified pressure on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government to confront antisemitism.

Jewish community leaders welcomed the deployment. "No Australian wants to see officers with military weapons on our streets, but the sight of body bags is far worse," said Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

Amnesty International Australia raised concerns about the "militarisation of policing," with spokesman Andrew Witheford urging "clear, publicly accessible rules, robust independent oversight and accountability."

NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley defended the measures: "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 opened fire on the crowd, was shot dead by police at the scene.

(Featured image: NSW Police officers at Town Hall light rail station in central Sydney, September 2024. File image. CC0.)