NSW Police Unveils Armed Response Command for Rapid Threat Response

Key Points

• The Minns Labor Government has unveiled the first public details of the NSW Police Force’s new Armed Response Command (ARC).
• ARC is designed as a permanent, highly trained and intelligence-led unit capable of responding rapidly to serious threats across Sydney.
• The NSW Government is investing $94.3 million in the new command, which will eventually have 250 police officers and 28 civilian staff.
• Training is already underway, with 24 purpose-built vehicles being delivered before the command becomes fully operational.
• Officers will use specialist equipment, including rifles, and will operate BMW X5s and Toyota LandCruisers fitted with specially designed gun safes.
• The NSW Police Force has selected the Australian Combat Assault Rifle (ACAR), manufactured by Lithgow Small Arms in NSW, following field and endurance testing.
• ARC will transition Operation Shelter, launched in October 2023, from a reactive surge operation into a permanent 24-hour rapid response capability.
• A specialised 24/7 Police Operations Centre will support the command through response coordination, intelligence, logistics and training.
• NSW Police studied rapid response models in the United Kingdom and Germany during a January delegation visit, with findings helping shape the new command.
• The command is expected to increase police visibility at places of worship, major events, high-risk areas and other locations where additional security may be required.
• Premier Chris Minns, Police and Counter-terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley and NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon have all emphasised preparedness, deterrence and community safety.

Sydney Now Magazine (SNM) October 8, 2026 – The New South Wales Government has unveiled the first public look at the NSW Police Force’s new Armed Response Command, a permanent specialist unit being developed to provide a rapid response to serious threats across Sydney. Training is already underway, while 24 purpose-built vehicles are being delivered as the command moves towards operational readiness. The unit will eventually comprise 250 police officers and 28 civilian staff and will operate around the clock. The announcement marks the next public stage of the development of a policing capability intended to respond quickly to emerging threats, support high-risk operations and provide a visible police presence where required.

The NSW Government says the Armed Response Command is being established as an Australian-first permanent rapid response unit, backed by a $94.3 million investment and supported by specialist vehicles, firearms, advanced training and a dedicated 24/7 operations centre.

The announcement was made by the Minns Labor Government as training moves beyond dedicated facilities and into more realistic environments across Sydney. According to the NSW Government’s announcement, members of the public can expect to see ARC officers, specialist vehicles and rifles during this next stage of training.

The government said the public-facing training activity is intended to form part of the development of the command before it becomes fully operational.

What is the new Armed Response Command?

The Armed Response Command is being developed as a dedicated and permanent NSW Police Force unit focused on rapidly responding to serious threats.

According to the NSW Government, ARC will be highly trained, intelligence-led and capable of responding to emerging threats while also undertaking patrols in areas considered to require a higher level of police presence.

The command is also expected to support policing around places of worship, major events and other locations where additional resources may be required.

The government described ARC as an Australian-first capability and said it would provide a permanent response model rather than relying solely on temporary or reactive deployments.

At full strength, ARC is planned to have 250 police officers and 28 civilian staff. The government said this staffing model means officers will no longer need to be routinely rotated out of existing Police Area Commands to provide the capability.

How will ARC change NSW Police’s rapid response capability?

The development of ARC represents a move towards making rapid response a permanent component of NSW Police operations.

The NSW Government said the $94.3 million investment will support the new command as it moves towards full operational capability.

A key part of the change is the transition of Operation Shelter into the new permanent structure.

Operation Shelter was initially launched in October 2023 following heightened community tensions and an increase in reported antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents. It was established as a reactive surge operation.

Under the new model, the government says that capability will transition into a permanent, round-the-clock rapid response command.

The change therefore involves both a new organisational structure and a longer-term approach to rapid deployment.

Rather than operating solely as a temporary response to particular circumstances, ARC is intended to maintain a permanent capability that can be deployed when serious threats emerge.

What equipment will Armed Response Command officers use?

ARC officers will have access to rifles and specialist vehicles as part of their operational equipment.

According to the NSW Government, the fleet will include BMW X5s and Toyota LandCruisers. The vehicles are being specially prepared for the requirements of the command and contain dedicated gun safes designed to secure rifles.

The government said officers are also undertaking advanced driver training.

The NSW Police Force has selected the Australian Combat Assault Rifle, or ACAR, manufactured by Lithgow Small Arms in NSW, as the weapon for the new command.

The selection followed what the government described as extensive field and endurance testing.

The decision places specialist firearms capability at the centre of ARC’s planned response model. The weapons are intended for trained officers operating within the command’s broader rapid response structure.

The introduction of the firearms capability is being accompanied by specialist training rather than being treated as a standalone equipment change.

When will the public begin seeing Armed Response Command officers?

Training is already underway, and the NSW Government said the public will increasingly see ARC officers and their specialist vehicles around Sydney during the next phase of preparation.

The training is moving from dedicated training facilities into more realistic environments.

This means members of the public may encounter officers carrying rifles or see the purpose-built vehicles while exercises are taking place.

The government has described this as the next public phase of training rather than the full operational launch of the command.

The timing of the wider public visibility therefore reflects the transition from controlled training environments towards exercises designed to reflect the conditions officers may encounter during actual deployments.

How will the new Police Operations Centre support ARC?

The Armed Response Command will be supported by a specialised 24/7 Police Operations Centre.

According to the NSW Government, the centre will have responsibilities covering response, coordination, training, logistics and intelligence.

The operations centre is intended to provide a permanent support structure for ARC rather than leaving individual deployments to be organised without a dedicated command capability.

Its 24-hour operation is also consistent with the government’s objective of establishing a rapid response capability that can operate continuously.

The combination of specialist officers, vehicles, firearms, intelligence and a dedicated operations centre is intended to allow the command to coordinate its response to serious incidents.

How did the UK and Germany influence the NSW rapid response model?

The NSW Police Force’s new command has been informed by international policing practices.

The NSW Government said a senior NSW Police delegation travelled to the United Kingdom and Germany in January to examine rapid response models used by major police forces in those countries.

The visit was intended to examine how other jurisdictions organise their response capabilities and how those approaches could inform policing in NSW.

According to the government, the findings from the overseas study ultimately helped inform the development of ARC.

The international comparison is therefore part of the command’s development process, with NSW Police using what it observed overseas to shape its own permanent rapid response model.

The government has characterised the resulting command as being based on global best practice, although the specific elements adopted from the UK and German systems were not detailed in the supplied announcement.

What did Premier Chris Minns say about the new command?

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the state’s security environment had changed and that policing arrangements needed to change alongside it.

In the government announcement, Minns said keeping people in New South Wales safe remained the government’s priority and that police needed the personnel, training and equipment required to respond to serious threats.

He also acknowledged that authorities hoped the officers would never be required to respond to a major incident.

Minns said the public would begin seeing ARC officers and vehicles around Sydney as training progressed, describing the development as preparation for the worst-case scenario.

His comments placed the new command within a wider preparedness strategy rather than suggesting that ARC was being established in response to one specific incident.

What did Police Minister Yasmin Catley say about ARC?

NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said the new command was intended to provide police with the capability to detect, prevent and respond to threats.

Catley said the model had been informed by international practice and pointed to the NSW Police delegation’s visit to Europe as part of the process.

She said the officers would receive specialist training and have access to specialist equipment, purpose-built vehicles and a live operations centre.

The minister described the planned capability as a rapid, 24-hour response structure and said it was intended to provide the community with confidence in the police response to threats.

Her comments focused on the operational capability being developed rather than identifying a specific future threat that would trigger its deployment.

What did NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon say about the role of ARC?

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said ARC would provide more than a rapid policing response.

According to the NSW Government announcement, Lanyon said the command was also intended to act as a deterrent against people seeking to cause harm, incite hatred or create fear.

He said NSW Police wanted communities across Sydney to feel reassured that police could be deployed wherever and whenever necessary to maintain public safety.

Lanyon also linked the command’s development to changes in the security environment in NSW.

His comments reflected the broader rationale given for establishing ARC: that changes in the environment facing the state required changes in the way police resources and specialist capabilities were organised.

What other NSW Government reforms are linked to the new policing model?

The Armed Response Command is being introduced alongside a wider set of reforms described by the Minns Government as measures designed to improve community safety and protect social cohesion.

The government highlighted firearms reforms, including tougher firearms laws, stricter licensing requirements and a gun buyback programme intended to remove dangerous weapons from the community.

It also pointed to new offences relating to the public display of terrorist organisation symbols and further measures addressing hateful speech.

The government said these measures form part of broader efforts to reduce division, intimidation and hate in NSW.

ARC therefore sits within a wider policy framework involving policing, firearms regulation and measures aimed at community cohesion.

What will Armed Response Command mean for policing in Sydney?

The immediate change will be the creation of a permanent specialist capability able to respond rapidly to serious threats.

The government said ARC officers will undertake patrols in high-risk areas and provide additional police visibility at places of worship, major events and other locations where their presence is considered necessary.

The planned staffing structure is also significant because the command will have its own permanent workforce rather than relying on officers being rotated out of Police Area Commands.

The use of specialist vehicles and equipment will further distinguish ARC from ordinary frontline policing.

At the same time, the command is still in its development and training phase. The government has not presented the current public training activity as the full operational launch.

Why was Operation Shelter established and how is it changing?

Operation Shelter was launched in October 2023 amid heightened community tensions and an increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents.

It provided a reactive policing capability during a period when additional resources were considered necessary.

The new Armed Response Command is intended to make that type of rapid response permanent and available around the clock.

The transition means the capability originally delivered through a surge operation will become part of the standing NSW Police structure.

The government says ARC will provide a more consistent ability to respond to serious threats while maintaining the capacity to increase police visibility in areas requiring additional protection.

What is the background to the Armed Response Command?

Why has NSW been changing its approach to serious threats?

The Armed Response Command has emerged from a broader reassessment of policing requirements in NSW.

The government says the state’s security challenges have changed, requiring changes to policing arrangements and specialist response capabilities.

Operation Shelter provided one part of that response from October 2023. The new command takes the concept further by establishing a permanent unit with its own officers, equipment, vehicles, intelligence support and operations centre.

The government has also introduced firearms reforms and measures concerning terrorist symbols and hateful speech as part of its wider community safety agenda.

International policing experience has also contributed to the development process. A senior NSW Police delegation travelled to the UK and Germany in January to examine rapid response models, with the government saying those observations helped inform ARC.

The result is a dedicated command designed around rapid deployment, specialist training and continuous operational support.

What could the Armed Response Command mean for Sydney communities?

The development is likely to affect Sydney residents, visitors, communities attending places of worship, organisers of major events and people in areas identified as requiring increased police visibility.

For the public, the most immediate change will be greater visibility of specialist officers and vehicles while training takes place.

Over time, the permanent command is intended to provide a dedicated response capability that can be deployed when serious threats emerge.

For communities and event organisers, the planned ability to place ARC resources at locations considered high-risk could mean a more visible specialist police presence.

The command’s 24/7 structure may also provide NSW Police with a permanent resource rather than requiring a temporary surge arrangement whenever circumstances demand a heightened response.

However, the full effect will depend on how the command operates once it reaches its intended strength of 250 officers and 28 civilian staff.

At present, the government is still describing the programme in terms of training and preparation. The delivery of the 24 vehicles, advanced driver training, weapons selection and development of the dedicated operations centre are all part of the process leading towards full operational capability.

The establishment of ARC marks a significant organisational change for NSW Police, but the government’s stated objective remains focused on preparedness: having trained personnel and specialist resources available to respond when serious threats arise.