328 Officers Deploy to Protect Jewish Community as NSW Police Launch Operation Shelter After Bondi Attack
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NSW Police have mobilized 328 officers to protect synagogues, Jewish neighborhoods and community gathering places under Operation Shelter, a massive security deployment activated Sunday morning in response to the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in Australian history.
Hours after two gunmen murdered 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon announced the deployment of 328 officers to protect the state’s Jewish community under Operation Shelter — a previously established security protocol now operating at its highest-ever level.
“This morning we commenced Operation Shelter. It is an operation that we have previously run. We have escalated the number of police that are involved,” Commissioner Lanyon said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the NSW Premier.
The operation positions highly visible police units at synagogues, Jewish schools, businesses and residential areas with significant Jewish populations, aiming to deter copycat attacks and provide reassurance to a community left traumatized by Saturday’s massacre.
“Operation Shelter is designed to provide comfort to the Jewish community,” Lanyon said. “We will make sure that we are highly visible at places of worship, places that are known to be frequented by the Jewish community, but very much in those suburbs where we know that we have a large Jewish population.”
The security operation runs parallel to Operation ARQUES — the joint counterterrorism investigation launched after Commissioner Lanyon formally declared the shooting a terrorist activity at 9:36 p.m. Saturday. The investigation involves NSW Police, the Australian Federal Police, and ASIO.
“I had determined that it was a terrorist activity and made a declaration as such as 9:36 p.m.,” Lanyon said. “As a result of that declaration, we commenced Operation ARQUES, which is a joint counterterrorism operation. That is New South Wales Police working very closely with our Commonwealth partners.”
The AFP Commissioner, who was traveling abroad, is returning to Australia to oversee the federal response.
“The AFP Commissioner will return to Australia today,” Prime Minister Albanese confirmed. “We will dedicate every single resource that is required in responding to this.”
Two NSW Police officers who engaged the attackers Saturday evening remain in critical but stable condition, their injuries a testament to the ferocity of the gunfire exchange that ultimately ended the assault.
“I have two police officers currently in hospital at the moment. Both are in critical but stable condition,” Commissioner Lanyon said. “The thoughts of the New South Wales Police are very much with those officers and their families.”
The Premier defended the police response against early questions about the officers’ actions, noting that two officers were shot while confronting the gunmen.
“There are two New South Wales police officers in critical condition in New South Wales hospitals who stepped into the breach and could have lost their lives last night,” the Premier said. “I’m not going to go into the circumstances of police officers that returned fire, but I can tell you their bravery, their courage in these circumstances saved countless lives.”
The emergency services response to the attack demonstrated lessons learned from the Bondi Westfield Shopping Centre incident, according to NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan.
“There were some amazing lessons learned from the Bondi Westfield Shopping Centre,” Morgan said. “Last night, I am told, the command structures were seamless, the joint agency approach, the ability for paramedics with the support of police to work in these hot zones, I am absolutely convinced contributed to the saving of lives that otherwise would have been lost.”
NSW Ambulance received its first notification at 6:43 p.m. and had crews on scene within ten minutes. More than 123 ambulance personnel responded, with the first wave transporting 24 patients to area hospitals.
“This took a response of more than 123 personnel from NSW Ambulance,” Commissioner Morgan said. “Both NSW Police and NSW Ambulance worked seamlessly, I’m advised, through this entire incident in support of the community.”
Paramedics found 14 people deceased at the scene, with two more victims dying later at hospitals. A total of 42 people were treated at NSW medical facilities overnight.
Commissioner Morgan noted that some responding paramedics were themselves members of the Jewish community, adding personal anguish to their professional duties.
“Some of our paramedics are from the Jewish community and attended that scene and continued their duties diligently and professionally,” he said.
The recovery and neutralization of two improvised explosive devices added another layer of complexity to the police response. The bombs, described as “fairly basic” but nonetheless active, were discovered at the scene and rendered safe by the NSW Police rescue and bomb disposal unit.
“There were two improvised explosive devices found at the scene. They were taken by our rescue and bomb disposal unit,” Commissioner Lanyon said. “They were found to be active devices, so they were taken back and rendered safe by our police who do a professional job.”
Commissioner Lanyon issued a public call for calm, urging Australians against seeking retribution.
“I was very clear last night to call for calm. This is not a time for anyone to be seeking retribution. This is a time for community to grieve and to heal,” he said. “The New South Wales Police will do what it does best, and that is to prevent but investigate offences that happen.”
Operation ARQUES continues with investigators working around the clock. Search warrants executed at properties in Bonnyrig and Campsie overnight yielded six firearms registered to the deceased 50-year-old attacker.
“We have progressed at pace overnight with that investigation,” Lanyon said. “It’s important for the community to have the reassurance that New South Wales Police working with our Commonwealth partners will not stop until we understand the reasons behind this senseless incident.”
The Premier pledged a comprehensive inquiry into the attack once the initial investigation concludes.
“This is a massive terrorist event in Australia’s largest city targeted on Jewish Australians. We need to get to the bottom of exactly how this happens so that we can take steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” the Premier said.
Mental health support resources are available through NSW Health for anyone affected by the attack, officials noted.
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