Heavily armed police to patrol places of worship and protests in NSW after hate crime unit made permanent | New South Wales
NSW police will patrol high-profile public buildings, places of worship and protests with long-armed firearms after a unit created following the Bondi beach terror attack became permanent.
But the state’s Greens criticized the Minns government for the move, saying it would not stop people from protesting and could put them at risk of further harm or violence. Violence at a protest in Sydney against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s controversial visit earlier this month has prompted an independent investigation into police conduct.
The state government announced on Wednesday that around 250 NSW police officers will transform Operation Sanctuary, which was established in 2023 to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia, into a dedicated hate crime unit.
The center will support the heavily armed rapid response unit with real-time coordination and surge management, including training, logistics and intelligence. They will also be equipped with a fleet of specially modified rapid response vehicles.
The decision comes two months after 15 people were killed by two gunmen on December 14 in the worst terror attack in Australia’s modern history.
NSW premier Chris Minns said it was necessary to establish a permanent structure for Operation Shelter rather than rotating officers from various commands to ensure police could respond quickly.
“People want to see police at important events, near places of worship and in crowded public spaces,” he said Wednesday.
“This keeps the presence consistent because our security challenges have changed and our policing model needs to change with them.”
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The prime minister specifically took aim at the weekly pro-Palestinian protests, saying they were draining police resources.
After the Bondi massacre, he increased his statements by saying “words lead to action”.
Minns passed a series of controversial protest restrictions that were lifted in early February following Herzog’s visit.
The Greens’ justice spokeswoman, Sue Higginson, criticized Wednesday’s announcement, saying it “clearly and deliberately misconstrues political expression through protest, likening it to dangerous and extremist, disgusting mass murders and acts of terrorism”.
“The creation of special police forces armed with high-caliber, rapid-fire weapons that can be quickly deployed into the community will not stop people from taking part in protests; it will only put everyone at greater risk of violence, harm and death.”
Higginson said he marched with “Jewish people, Muslim people, First Nations people, gay people and tens of thousands of caring and compassionate people in the community” at a protest in Sydney against Herzog’s visit to Australia, describing the crowd as “socially cohesive, non-threatening and determined to express their political views”.
Referring to allegations that police attacked and assaulted protesters, including capturing Muslims praying at the rally, Higginson said Minns had “now made it clear that he wants this to be a permanent fixture of our democracy.”
A high-level police delegation traveled to Germany and the UK in January to review best practices, finding that the state’s “ad hoc offensive operations” needed to be formalised.
NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon said the unit with long-arm capability was essential in the transition from reactive to proactive policing.
“Our priority is not only to ensure that the community is safe, but also to ensure that people feel safe, but also to provide a deterrent to anyone who wishes to cause harm and [supporting] “Our operational police on the front lines,” he said.
The latest figures from Operation Shelter recorded 815 incidents deemed to be antisemitic or Islamophobic in nature, as well as other incidents that did not fall into either category; More than 230 people were arrested.
But doubts were raised about the accuracy and accuracy of the numbers after it was revealed that approximately 370 anti-Semitic incidents had been miscategorized dozens of times.
Recently retired deputy police commissioner Peter Thurtell told a parliamentary inquiry in April 2025 that the figures recorded were a “loose capture” of all incidents referred to law enforcement and were “not an exact science”.
