Publicly armed Jewish security groups still being considered despite announcement of heavily armed police unit

The Minns government is still mulling a proposal to allow volunteer members of a Jewish security group to be armed at public religious events, even after the NSW Police announced a heavily armed, specially trained squad of 250 officers will be deployed with long arm rifles.

On Thursday, Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the first 60 officers in the Armed Response Command (ARC) would start in November, saying they could be proactively deployed outside stadiums, places of worship and other major events.

The ARC, which at full strength will boast 250 officers and 28 civilian staff, will brandish Australian combat assault rifles in high-risk areas. The squad was established in response to the Bondi terror attack, where Sajid and Naveed Akram allegedly used high-powered rifle and a shotgun to shoot dozens of people attending a Hanukkah celebration in December last year. Local officers engaged the shooters with pistols.

Despite the $94.3 million investment into the armed police unit, a senior government source said the proposal to extend the ability Community Security Group (CSG) – a volunteer-run Jewish group already licensed to carry firearms to protect sacred events – to have weapons at public gatherings.

When asked which events would see an active deployment of the ARC, Lanyon said, “Major events, certainly; where there are major public gatherings. If we need to provide reassurance to the community in that space, their role is to be mobile.”

“Their role is to be everywhere across the metropolitan area to respond to situations as required. But if the intelligence that says there is a risk to a particular event, we will make sure that they are deployed with other policing resources.”

The proposal to CSG has been under consideration since the days after the Bondi terror attack – even though senior police officers, including Lanyon and Deputy Commissioner David Hudson, have publicly voiced their concerns about giving any community group such extraordinary powers.

Hudson, a veteran officer with responsibility for counter-terrorism, told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in May he held “considerable reservations” about the armed guards’ idea.

“The protection of all members of the community is the responsibility of police,” Hudson told the commission in late July.

In December, days after the idea was first advanced, Lanyon said: “My view is very much the police should be the first form of protection and security for all of the community, and we will be.” Asked again at a press conference in April whether it would be inappropriate to arm the CSG, Lanyon said, “that’s not a question for me”.

Premier Chris Minns has as recently as mid-August flagged that the option remains live. In budget estimates, Minns said he was concerned safety fears in the Jewish community could curtail participation in Hanukkah events “because of the real fear that this may happen again”.

“Now, given Jewish community groups and security groups are already armed as it relates to Jewish institutions for certain select events where there is a high risk of a potential mass shooting event. I think it needs to be trialled,” he said.

“Now, what we need to get right is the de-escalation between NSW Police and those security personnel in case there is an event. But look, that needs to be worked out. We haven’t made a final decision on it. I am open to the argument.”

One of the alternative options considered to the ARC was arming local police with rifles, Lanyon revealed on Thursday, saying the downside of that model was the burden of training all general duty officers who already faced significant workload pressures.

The decision to proceed with the ARC, a rapid-response unit dedicated to volatile situations, was made after a police delegation travelled to the United Kingdom and Germany in January, one month after the Bondi massacre, tasked with studying European rapid response models.

Specialist police officers carrying assault rifles will begin training exercises on Sydney’s streets in the coming weeks.

Sue Higginson, Greens MP and spokesperson for justice, criticised the announcement of the ARC as an “escalation in state violence” and “by definition an intimidation unit”.

“It’s political failure of the Minns Labor government that they will now wave weapons of death around our streets and put the fear of police violence into our communities,” she said. “To believe you can intimidate your way to community cohesion is authoritarian and draconian.”

The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission announced on Thursday afternoon that private hearings into the NSW Police operation during protests over the visit of Israel President Isaac Herzog would start on October 19. Those hearings were expected to run for five weeks before public examinations of “senior commissioned officers” began after.

“Further information about the date and nature of these public examinations will be provided in due course,” a spokesperson said.

The Community Security Group has been approached for comment.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.