00:00Specialist police armed with long-arm rifles will soon be patrolling parts of Sydney.
00:07It's not necessarily normal to see heavily armed police officers on our streets,
00:12but that's what you will see as a result of this command being stood up.
00:15The new police command will be armed with combat assault rifles
00:20and will patrol high-risk areas including places of worship, stadiums and major events.
00:27However, the New South Wales Police Commissioner clarified that the heavily armed police officers
00:34would not likely be deployed to protests.
00:38No, I don't see that they will be deployed to protests.
00:40We have a public order and riot squad who are well and truly established to do that.
00:47The ARC Armed Response Command was created in response to the Bondi terror attack in December 2025
00:56where two men shot dozens of people attending a Hanukkah celebration.
01:03Things needed to change after that horrific event and the government's decision to allocate $94 million
01:09and Police Commissioner's command to establish this armed response team is important for our state.
01:17The New South Wales government says the command was created due to heightened community tensions,
01:24including an increase in reported anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents.
01:31The ARC includes 250 officers, 24 purpose-built vehicles and a 24-7 specialised police operations centre.
01:42The Armed Response Command is not only about making sure the community is safe,
01:46it's also about making sure they feel safe.
01:49I want to make sure that there is a visible presence for a community to see.
01:53Police studied rapid response models in Germany and the UK ahead of rolling out an Australian model.
02:01The ARC officers will be seen across Sydney as their training continues.
02:06As of the 1st of November, we will be able to deploy 60 officers under the Armed Response Command
02:12who will have assault rifles.
02:15Their work will be to respond very properly to any active armed offender.
02:20Here we are.
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