Human rights advocates and political opponents are warning that the NSW Police unit now patrolling Sydney hotspots with military-style rifles could lead to overpolicing and "intimidation".
The $94.3 million, "high-visibility, intelligence-led" Armed Response Command (ARC), which was officially launched on Sunday, was among a range of reforms introduced by the NSW government after the Bondi Beach terror attack on 14 December 2025.
Authorities have said the ARC — a first-of-its-kind rapid response unit in Australia, inspired by similar units in the United Kingdom and Germany — would deter crime, increase community safety, and increase police capacity to respond rapidly to serious threats.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has said: "The security challenges facing our state have changed, and our policing model needs to change with them."
"This is about being prepared for the worst and making sure we can keep the community safe," Minns said when unveiling the ARC in early October.
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
NSW Police has said the ARC will increase police presence in "high-risk" areas, including "priority locations, major events, crowded public spaces, sporting matches and places of worship".
The ARC is comprised of 250 "carefully selected officers" who have undergone six months of specialist training, including "rifle proficiency, active armed offender response, advanced driver training and tactical medical care", according to a statement from late October.
The unit, which was announced in late February, will patrol the streets in purpose-built vehicles, fitted with specialised gun safes.
Officers will carry Australian Combat Assault Rifles. Measuring over 70cm long and with a range of more than 500 metres, NSW Police say the weapons were deemed "the most suitable" after "extensive field and endurance testing".
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has said the ARC will be "a deterrent for those who wish to commit harm, incite hatred or cause fear".
"The environment in NSW has changed, so the way we police the community has changed and what the community expect from us, has changed," he said on 8 October.
While giving evidence at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, the NSW Police's deputy commissioner said officers responding to the attack at Bondi Beach with standard-issue 9mm Glock pistols were outgunned.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin has also said police didn't have the resources to properly respond.
"On December 14 our police were clearly not given the means to promptly stop the attack, and two officers were among the seriously injured as a result," he said.
"No Australian wants to see officers with military weapons on our streets, but the sight of body bags is far worse."
He said the NSW community should "be grateful to the police and state government" for increasing preparedness, which will "hopefully deter terrorists or end attacks quickly".
However, the unit has also sparked concerns from human rights advocates and some members of the NSW parliament.
Amnesty International Australia has said it has "serious concerns about the increasing militarisation of policing" and is calling for "robust safeguards to protect human rights, particularly the right to peaceful protest".
"People must be able to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of intimidation or excessive force," Amnesty International Australia strategic campaigner Andrew Witheford said.
"The NSW Government must provide clear assurances that the Armed Response Command will not be used to intimidate or suppress peaceful protest, and ensure its operations are subject to rigorous human rights safeguards and independent scrutiny."
"Any expansion of police powers and capabilities must be accompanied by clear, publicly accessible rules, robust independent oversight and accountability," he said, adding that the "use of force by police must always comply with international human rights standards".
Sue Higginson, a NSW Greens upper house member and the party's spokesperson for justice, described the ARC as an "intimidation unit" and an "escalation in state violence".
She said police "wav[ing] weapons of death" around Sydney streets would only increase already existing fears of police violence.
"To believe you can intimidate your way to community cohesion is authoritarian and draconian," she added.
"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'.
"I am astounded by the attitude of our most senior police officer."
Higginson also raised concerns about how the ARC may seek to use long-range rifles at peaceful protests.
She said that, while political speech has been deemed constitutionally protected from anti-protest laws, it should not be deterred "with guns".
SBS News has contacted the NSW Police for a response.
NSW Police has experienced a significant decline in community trust since 2019, according to data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Community confidence in the police's ability to bring offenders to justice dropped from 82 per cent in 2019 to 73 per cent in 2025.
Only 49 per cent of respondents felt police dealt with cases promptly, compared to 66 per cent in 2019.
Over the same period, confidence that police officers respected the rights of people accused of crimes declined from 75 to 69 per cent.
Meanwhile, belief that accused persons are treated fairly fell from 77 to 69 per cent and trust that police meet victims' needs dropped from 70 per cent to 56 per cent.
ARC commander Detective Superintendent Andrew Evans told ARC officers during their attestation that he hoped the unit would improve the community's trust in police.
"When a member of the public sees an ARC vehicle, I want them to feel reassured," he said.
