Melbourne, Australia: An Australian state police force has moved to establish a heavily armed rapid response team after gunmen killed 15 people and wounded three police officers, who were armed only with handguns, at a Sydney Hanukkah celebration in December.

The police force has responded with a plan to establish an Armed Response Command, equipped with semi-automatic rifles, and by reviving a priority resourced operation focused on antisemitic crimes and retaliatory attacks against Muslim targets, New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson said.

Rifles within the force had largely been restricted to two specialised paramilitary squads, he added.

“On 14 December, our police officers were placed at significant risk being in a gunfight armed with 9 mm Glocks against long arms,” Hudson told the inquiry.

Within five minutes of the Akrams allegedly opening fire, 11 police officers had reached the scene. Three of those officers were among the dozens wounded in the attack.

In response to the shooting, police also revived Operation Shelter, which had been established following escalating community tensions after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Hudson said.

He had initially created Operation Shelter as a high-visibility, proactive policing operation to prevent the escalation of street violence in Sydney. At its peak, 200 officers were deployed daily, with the authority to bring in additional staff from other duties as required.

Operation Shelter existed “in name only” at the time of the Bondi attack, Hudson said, adding that it has since been reactivated and elevated to an active policing resource. It will remain in place until the armed response unit is fully operational, which is expected within 18 months to two years.