NSW Police's Armed Response Command starts today: rifle-carrying patrols in Sydney explained, and how Victoria compares

By The Rundowns News Desk · Published 1 November 2026

From today, Sunday 1 November 2026, NSW Police's new Armed Response Command (ARC) is officially operational. It's a permanent, round-the-clock unit whose officers carry rifles while patrolling crowded places, major events and places of worship around Sydney. Officials describe it as Australia's first permanent dedicated rapid armed response police capability. Here's what it is, why it exists, the criticism it has drawn, and how Victoria does things differently.

What happened

NSW Police says the ARC officially starts operations on 1 November, after six months of specialist training (Inside State Government, reporting NSW Police; AAP; Guardian Australia). The key facts, each confirmed by at least two of the sources below:

• Cost: about $94 million (NSW Government, AAP, SMH, ABC).
• Size: about 250 officers and 28 civilian staff at full strength (NSW Government, AAP). The SMH says full capacity is expected by the end of 2027. The ABC reported in October that 60 officers would start from November. Guardian Australia gives a figure of 200 officers. Numbers will build up over time.
• Weapon: the Australian Combat Assault Rifle (ACAR), made by Lithgow Small Arms in NSW. Officers use a shortened version, stored in gun safes in purpose-built BMW X5 and Toyota LandCruiser vehicles (NSW Government release, SMH).
• Role: high-visibility patrols at priority locations, major events, crowded public spaces, sporting matches and places of worship, and rapid response to active armed offender incidents. A 24/7 Police Operations Centre supports the unit (NSW Government, Inside State Government).
• Replaces Operation Shelter: the surge operation set up in October 2023 after a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents will scale down as the ARC grows (NSW Government, AAP, Inside State Government).

Why it was set up

The NSW Government announced the unit in February in response to the 14 December 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack, when 15 people were killed at a Hanukkah celebration (AAP, SMH). Guardian Australia reports that a senior NSW officer told the royal commission into antisemitism that police were outgunned that day, because responding officers carried pistols while the attackers had longer-range firearms. Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has said the aim is to deter attacks and provide reassurance. Premier Chris Minns has said the public will need time to get used to seeing heavily armed officers (AAP).

The criticism

• Civil liberties. NSW Council for Civil Liberties president Timothy Roberts told Guardian Australia it was an "American-style militarisation" of policing. He wants the rules on where the unit can operate, including a ban on deploying it at protests, set out in policy and law. Commissioner Lanyon has said he doesn't see the unit being used at protests (Guardian Australia).
• Greens. NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson called it an "intimidation unit" (AAP).
• Experts. Macquarie University counter-terrorism expert Julian Droogan told both AAP and Guardian Australia that well-armed police at high-risk sites could save lives. He also said this has to be matched by work on the root causes of radicalisation.
• Community views are split. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry welcomed the unit. The Jewish Council of Australia said "bigger guns and harsher laws" won't address the root causes (both quoted by Guardian Australia only).

Why it matters beyond Sydney, including in Victoria

Victoria doesn't have an equivalent standing unit. Victoria Police's approach so far has been to deploy specialist teams for particular events. Before the 2025 Boxing Day Test, it sent Critical Incident Response Team officers with semi-automatic long-arm rifles to patrol outside the MCG. Police said that was based on the general threat environment rather than a specific threat, and Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said future events would be assessed case by case (ABC). Nine reported in June that Victoria Police would give long-arm rifles to frontline officers in Wangaratta. Those rifles are assigned to areas or shifts and are not used for street patrols (Nine, single source, quoting a Victoria Police statement).

Our reading: NSW is the first state to make visibly armed patrols a permanent, everyday presence. With big summer events coming up in Melbourne, and a state election on 28 November where policing is a campaign issue, expect questions about whether Victoria should follow. No Victorian party policy on this has been confirmed in our sources.

What's next

The ARC will build towards full strength through 2027, and Commissioner Lanyon has left the door open to expanding it further (AAP). Watch for the first public reporting on where the unit has been deployed, any formal rules on protests, and the antisemitism royal commission's findings. We'll update this explainer if Victoria announces a similar capability.