NSW police deputy commissioner says letting Jewish security group carry guns could be seen as ‘favouritism’ | Royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion

The assistant commissioner of New South Wales police has rejected calls for the private security industry to be armed at Jewish events.

The royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion examines security arrangements for the Jewish community in this hearing block; some witnesses are lobbying for the arming of the Community Security Group (CSG) following the Bondi terror attack.

Led by security experts and supported by trained volunteers, CSG monitors threats to the community and ensures security for Jewish events. Security guards can carry guns in schools and synagogues, and they attended Hanukkah celebrations in December but were unarmed.

In the days after the Bondi beach terror attack, NSW premier Chris Minns said his government was “actively” considering expanding CSG’s access to weapons.

Appearing before the royal commission on Monday, David Hudson said it was “the responsibility of the police to protect all members of the community, not other individuals or groups”.

He said it was his “strong preference” to adopt a “user pays” model rather than arming private security guards; This model would allow promoters or venues to pay for a police presence, as occurred in Westfield following the stabbing attack in 2024.

Hudson said the police force generally opposes individual communities, including the Jewish community, carrying guns or using body armor.

“Our sense is that allowing certain segments of society to have special privileges for their security, whatever those areas may be, will further deteriorate what are pretty poor relationships between different groups,” said Hudson.

“It would certainly be seen by others as showing favoritism to this group by the police or the government.”

Risk consultant Gavriel Schneider told the commissioner on Monday that the private security industry should be weaponized as a “valuable alternative or supplement” to existing police resources at outdoor events; This view was also supported by the Australian Jewish Association.

Its president, Robert Gregory, said the Jewish community would not feel safe attending outdoor events “unless there is armed protection” and called on the government to review the protective abilities of licensed security guards.

“If the police can be there, that’s great, but they can’t be there all the time,” he said.

“When we have a trained community organization (CSG) that is willing to protect the community … I think it makes sense that you allow them to have the ability to protect that community,” he said.

The royal commission’s interim report found no loopholes in existing laws that could have prevented the shooting. But there have been calls for greater coordination of policing at Jewish festivals and events.

The royal commission heard that around 2,000 people were expected to attend the Hanukkah by the Sea event in December and four officers were tasked with attending, but it is unclear whether they were instructed to stay for the entire event.

Counter-terrorism expert Scott Wilson told the royal commission that the response and speed of police officers was “tremendous” but limited by the fact that “they were not the right officers to be there”.

One of the alleged shooters was shot within five minutes of the attack, while the second alleged shooter was captured within eight minutes.

In the United Kingdom, general duty officers do not carry firearms, but specialist officers do; this requires 12 weeks of specialized, intensive training, compared to nine days for the average Australian officer.

“To deal with a long-arms terrorist attack, specialist police need to be there as quickly as possible,” Wilson said.

Hudson said NSW police had implemented a number of measures following the Bondi terror attack, including a new armed response command announced in February and a 24-hour operations center liaising with CSG for major Jewish events.

“If our risk assessment or our threat assessment shows that we need an armed response, we will have an armed response,” he said. “We are extremely sensitive to the sensitivities of the Jewish people and will always discuss their security needs.”