NSW Premier Addresses Police Response to Bondi Attack
New South Wales (NSW) Premier Chris Minns has addressed criticisms regarding the police response to an attack at a Jewish festival in Bondi Beach. The incident resulted in 15 fatalities and dozens of injuries.
Allegations and Official Statements
Witness accounts suggested that police may have been slow to disarm the two assailants and questioned the adequacy of security arrangements prior to the event. One witness, Shmulik Scuri, described the officers as having "froze."
Premier Minns countered these claims, asserting that officers demonstrated "bravery and integrity." He confirmed that two officers are currently in critical care, having sustained injuries while engaging the gunmen. Minns stated that officers confronted the assailants, who were armed with long-range rifles, using handguns on a footbridge. He characterized "the rush to conclusions" concerning the police operation as "disrespectful," asserting that suggestions of NSW Police failing their responsibilities were "not consistent with the facts."
Commissioner's Remarks on Deployment and Intelligence
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon declined to specify the number of officers deployed for the event in advance. He indicated that police regularly patrol the area and that resource allocation is based on existing threat assessments.
Commissioner Lanyon further noted that Naveed Akram, identified as one of the alleged gunmen, had come to the attention of Australia's security agency in 2019 due to associations. However, at that time, there was no intelligence to suggest he posed a risk of violence. Lanyon stated that a different policing response would have been considered had there been specific intelligence regarding a threat to the location or event.
Initiatives Against Hate Crimes
In the aftermath of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, NSW Police initiated Operation Shelter. This operation aims to investigate antisemitic hate crimes and involves regular patrols of high-risk areas, particularly Sydney's eastern suburbs, including Bondi, which has a significant Jewish population. Additionally, Strike Force Pearl was subsequently established to investigate hate crimes across Sydney.