NSW Premier Addresses Police Response to Bondi Attack

NSW Premier Addresses Police Response to Bondi Attack

Sydney, Australia – New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns has addressed criticisms regarding the police handling of an attack at a Jewish festival in Bondi Beach. The incident resulted in 15 fatalities and dozens injured, with two police officers currently in critical condition after sustaining gunshot wounds during the event.

Premier Minns defended the police response, stating that officers demonstrated "bravery and integrity." He highlighted the injuries sustained by two officers, noting they were shot from the front while engaging the perpetrators. Minns dismissed suggestions of police inaction as "disrespectful" and premature, asserting that officers "didn't take a backward step" and confronted gunmen armed with long-range rifles using handguns on a footbridge. He emphasized that any assertion of NSW Police failing in their responsibilities is inconsistent with the facts.

Witness accounts, including one from Shmulik Scuri, described officers as potentially "freezing" and being "too slow to disarm" the gunmen. Questions were also raised regarding the adequacy of security measures in place prior to the shooting.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon did not provide details on the number of officers deployed in advance of the event. He stated that police "regularly patrol that area" and that the level of police presence is determined "on the threat that exists at the time."

Australia's security agency had previously identified Naveed Akram, one of the alleged gunmen, in 2019 due to associations, but concluded there was no indication of a risk of violence. Commissioner Lanyon indicated that a different policing response might have been implemented if specific threat intelligence for the location or event had been available.

Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, NSW Police established Operation Shelter to investigate antisemitic hate crimes, including regular patrols in high-risk areas like the eastern suburbs of Sydney, which encompasses Bondi due to its significant Jewish population. Additionally, Strike Force Pearl was formed to investigate hate crimes across Sydney.