Circular Quay for Drinks and NSW Police Long Arm Rifles, Anyone?

Everyone in Greater Sydney is sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation of this weekend’s official launch of the New South Wales Police Force’s new Armed Response Command. And inaugural ARC commander detective superintendent Andrew Evans as suggested Circular Quay is a prime area for deployment, for any avid firearm spotters who might be out this Sunday, 1 November 2026.

The ARC is significant as it is this nation’s first 24/7 rapid response unit, and it will be armed with long arms rifles, specifically the Australian Combat Assault Rifle. And the NSW police 28 October presser is clear that Sunday’s launch is the “culmination of six months of intensive specialist training, as carefully selected officers prepare to form part of” this policing capability.

Further, the agency notes that the $94 million rollout of the ARC is a response to the 14 December 2025 Bondi Beach mass murder, and the new unit will have a focus on “serious threats, including active armed offender incidents”. The ARC is also replacing soon-to-be disbanding Operation Shelter, which has been tasked with combatting antisemitism and Islamophobia post-7 October 2023.

ARC commander Evans told the Herald on Wednesday that while ARC officers will be patrolling places of worship and major events, its first day out on the town, will rather see its officers with long arms at the ready focusing on tourist hotspots, and specifically, they’ll be on Gadigal land at Circular Quay, where he believes the 50-odd million passing through annually are particularly vulnerable.

But the truth is not all Sydneysiders are eagerly anticipating the roll out of the ARC. One of those people is NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson, who considers that the sight of NSW police waving these “weapons of death” around in the streets won’t make a lot of people feel safer, even after Bondi. Indeed, many consider something will be lost with the imposition of these semiautomatics in public.

Scoping the Quay for terror threats 

“Officers will soon be highly visible across Sydney, driving specialist vehicles and carrying rifles,” NSW Police News reported on 28 October. “They will conduct patrols at priority locations, major events, crowded public spaces, sporting matches and places of worship.”

“Their presence will form part of a proactive policing approach aimed at deterring threats, strengthening community confidence and ensuring police are positioned to respond when needed,” the report continued.

Evans further told the Herald that the ARC is needed, as the security environment has shifted nationally, and he added that having these specialist officers out patrolling crowded public places will make the community safer, as these officers will be linked into real time national security intelligence, which will identify potential threats. Indeed, ASIO will be updating the ARC regularly.

The Australian Combat Assault Rifle to be used by ARC officers is a special shortened version of the firearm that has been designed for military and law enforcement use by manufacturer Lithgow Small Arms in NSW. This version of the weapon is better for swift deployment. And the purpose-built BMW X5s and Toyota LandCruisers being used by the ARC provide gun safes for the rifles to be stored in.

Operation Shelter is the police response to rising antisemitism and Islamophobia in the wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack and the Gaza genocide. This operation, which is regularly deployed to Jewish neighbourhoods, will be phased out next year. So, the ARC can be taken as linked to developments that are increasingly being referred to as the “Israelisation” of this country.

High visibility deterrence

NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon explained in respect of the ARC earlier this month that the armed rapid response unit would have a dual purpose, which is deterring those in public “who wish to commit harm, incite hatred or cause fear”. And he added that no matter where constituents are located, they can rest assured of their safety “anywhere, at any time”.

The initial 60 ARC officers are all set to be out on the beat this November. Those numbers will grow to 250 ARC officers, with 28 civilian staff members. The high visibility aspect to the armed rapid response unit is meant to act as a deterrent to bad actors in public and also to provide some reassurance to the community whilst out and about.

NSW Police News further explained that ARC officers are undergoing their final week of operational readiness training, which brings to an end a six-month regime. The unit started training after a delegation of senior NSW police officers travelled to visit counterparts in Britian and Germany to inspect the rapid response units already being deployed in those countries.

“This is about backing police with the right capability to detect, prevent and respond to threats,” NSW police minister Yasmin Catley said of the new unit earlier this month. “The new Armed Response Command is based on global best practice. Police travelled to Europe to study how other major police forces respond to threats.”

“An intimidation unit”

In response to Lanyon’s having declared that one purpose of the ARC is to deter those in public who seek to “commit harm, incite hatred or cause fear”, NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson has suggested that the rapid response unit is, therefore, “by definition an intimidation unit”, and it’s roll out marks an “escalation in state violence”.

State violence hangs heavy over the Sydney metropolitan area ever since an estimated 500-odd NSW police officers unleashed excessive force upon a crowd of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered on Gadigal land at Sydney Town Hall on 9 February 2026 to protest the official visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog. This involved a coordinated attack on the public as protesters did not disperse.

The NSW Minns government and most major party politicians have had a particular gripe with the nation’s huge pro-Palestine movement. It has been demonised by state actors, who claim there is something criminal or provocative about their support for the Palestinians now being genocided in the Gaza Strip, when really this movement is politically inconvenient, both locally and in Israel.

“I’m shocked that the commissioner of police would blatantly state that this unit is about intimidation,” Higginson said earlier this month. “It’s political failure of the Minns Labor government that they will now wave weapons of death around our streets and put the fear of police violence into our communities.”

“I’m alarmed by the commentary of commissioner Mal Lanyon that the threat of being shot by police should act as a deterrent to ‘harm’ or ‘hatred’,” the Greens member continued. “We know police intend to use these long arm rifles at peaceful protest, and I am astounded by the attitude of our most senior police officer.”

The threat of state violence in the wake of the anti-Herzog protest is keenly relevant at this time, as despite their being reels and reels of footage capturing NSW police officers brutalising the public on a Monday night last February, NSW premier Chris Minns, the police minister and the police commissioner have all repeatedly refused opportunities to apologise to the public for this violence.

“NSW Labor claim to care about reducing gun violence when they attack the Liberals, but here they are sending more long arm rifles into circulation in a move that proves the Minns Labor government cares about political point scoring more than community safety,” Higginson added in conclusion.

Image of long arm rifles and Circular Quay from Shutterstock