Sydney starts armed police patrols after Bondi Beach attack

Armed police officers carrying rifles have begun patrolling Sydney's streets, in an Australian-first security measure introduced after the Bondi Beach shooting last December.

The Armed Response Command (ARC) will deploy at major events, sporting venues, crowded public spaces and places of worship, New South Wales state police said, describing the patrols as highly visible. The officers' role, the force said, is to "prevent, deter and rapidly respond to serious threats, including active armed offender incidents".

The unit will grow to 250 officers and cost A$94 million (US$66 million), according to CNA. The BBC reported that officers carry long-arm rifles, an unfamiliar sight in a country where heavily armed police are rare.

Fifteen people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed on 14 December when two gunmen opened fire on a crowd marking the Jewish festival of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach. The BBC described it as Australia's worst mass shooting in almost three decades and said it prompted sweeping gun law reforms and a crackdown on hate speech. CNA reported the attack was motivated by Islamic State ideology.

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, the BBC reported. His father, Sajid Akram, 50, who was also armed and fired at the crowd, was killed by police at the scene.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Evans, who commands the unit, said: "The tragic events at Bondi demonstrated the devastating consequences when an alleged armed offender attacks innocent people." He said the command ensures highly trained officers are "in the right places, with the right equipment, ready to act when seconds matter".

Reaction in the city was divided. One resident told ABC News the sight of armed officers was "unnerving", adding: "They are just everywhere. Those guns are huge." Another woman told the broadcaster that seeing police with weapons made her feel safe.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry welcomed the patrols. Its co-chief executive, Alex Ryvchin, 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 said it was concerned about the militarisation of policing and asked the state government for assurances that the unit would not be used against peaceful protests. "Any expansion of police powers and capabilities must be accompanied by clear, publicly accessible rules, robust independent oversight and accountability," Andrew Witheford of the organisation said, according to the BBC.

New South Wales 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."