Sydney gets a rifle-carrying police unit on Sunday: NSW Armed Response Command launches November 1, with Circular Quay among its first patrols

SYDNEY — From this Sunday, Sydneysiders will see a new rifle-carrying police unit on the streets. The NSW Police Force announced on October 28 that its new Armed Response Command (ARC) will officially commence operations on Sunday, November 1, the state's first round-the-clock rapid-response unit, set up to respond to terrorism, armed offenders and emerging threats to public safety.

A $94 million response to the Bondi attack

The command was created after the December 14, 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack, in which 15 people were killed. The NSW Government has invested $94 million in the unit, covering rifles, training and purpose-built vehicles. At full strength it will comprise 250 police officers and 28 civilian staff; the first 60 officers come on duty in November. Officers have completed six months of intensive specialist training, including tactical medical first responder training delivered by NSW Ambulance specialists, advanced driver training and rifle courses, capped by a final week of operational readiness training.

Circular Quay: the vulnerable hotspot named by the commander

Officers will be highly visible at priority locations, major events, crowded public spaces, sporting matches and places of worship. Commander Detective Superintendent Andrew Evans told the Sydney Morning Herald that tourist hotspots will be among the first patrols, and that Circular Quay is particularly vulnerable — an estimated 50 million passengers a year transfer through the transport hub by train and ferry. Officers will carry long-arm rifles and drive specialist vehicles. The command will gradually take over patrols from Operation Shelter, set up in October 2023 amid a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents.

Not everyone is reassured: will rifles on the street feel safer?

Not everyone welcomes the unit. NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson has argued that police waving "weapons of death" around the streets will not necessarily make people feel safer, even after Bondi. Police say the unit is intelligence-led and highly visible, designed to prevent, deter and rapidly respond to serious threats. For Sydney residents and visitors, the most immediate change is simple: from Sunday, seeing rifle-carrying officers at Circular Quay, places of worship and major events becomes normal.

This report is compiled from the NSW Police Force notice of October 28, 2026 and related reporting; exact deployment arrangements remain subject to later police announcements.